


Of Gorgons And Gardens

by TheRoarOfAtlas



Category: Prospect (2018), The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bounty Hunters, Breeding Kink, Canon-Typical Violence, Clandestine Endeavors, Copious Fluids, Crossover, Deepthroating, Double Penetration, Excessive Come, Ezra Is Good At Words, F/M, Forehead Touching, Gratuitous Smut, Huh how did that get there, I've done it, Kissing by Proxy, Mandalorian, Mandalorian Culture, Mando Is Bad At Words, Mando is reallllllly into the Creed, Mildly Dubious Consent, Multiple Orgasms, Mutually oblivious idiots, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Oh that's right, Oral Fixation, Oral Sex, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Outer Space, Pain, Pain Kink, Pining, Praise Kink, Quarry!Ezra, Revenge, Sex Pollen, Star Wars - Freeform, This Is The Way, This got long I apologize, Threesome - F/M/M, Touch-Starved, Vaginal Sex, Viewpoint Switches, also, big dick energy, reader is a bounty hunter, sloppy blowjobs, this gets messy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:42:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 38,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24561010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRoarOfAtlas/pseuds/TheRoarOfAtlas
Summary: Your Mandalorian employer accepts a bounty for a new target.(Note: This tale is unrelated to Stay Safe and To Tell You The Truth!)[x-posted to Tumblr]Enjoy!
Relationships: Ezra (Prospect)/Reader, Ezra (Prospect)/You, The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Reader, The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/You
Comments: 40
Kudos: 358





	1. In Eden's Grasp

**Author's Note:**

> [!TRIGGER WARNING!: For obligatory dubious consent due to sex pollen, as well as threesome activities, breeding kink and gratuitous bodily fluids. Stay safe!]

The quarry was named Ezra. Not that their name mattered, the chain code was freshly generated. The strangest part was that there had been no  _ image _ attached to the puck. 

Din had tipped his helmet to the side, narrowing his eyes and tapping the bounty puck curiously. " _ Somethin' wrong with this? _ "

Karga shook his head. " _ No, he's just too slick for us to have any holorecords on him. Somebody from Bakhroma wants him alive _ ."

Undocumented quarry was  _ exceptionally _ rare, and not usually something that one requested a Mandalorian for. It indicated green prey, a first-time offender. " _ Bakhroma, huh? Pretty far out _ ." He wasn't an  _ idiot _ . There had to be a reason why Karga had offered him this one specifically.

" _ Guy apparently walked off with a majority of someone's aurelac pull. Typical floater squabble, but one of them ponied up the mining points for credits and asked for a certified, card-carryin' Mando. _ " Karga had leaned back in the booth. " _ How's the kid? _ "

Din had just grunted noncommittally in reply, gloved fingers scooping the puck off the table. " _ I have to get back to the Crest. _ "

…

"The target has been on Bakhroma relatively recently. Not sure if he was in the Green or not, but either way he'll probably be a walking biohazard." Mando muttered, turning his head towards you. "So  _ you're _ staying put."

"Until something happens to you and I have to pull you out of the fire  _ again _ ." You retorted with a smirk. 

" _ Hey _ , that was one time." You knew he was narrowing his eyes, though you weren't quite sure  _ how _ you knew. Something about the way he tilted his head ever so slightly to the right clued you in.

"You were full of _nexu_ _quills_."

" _ One. Time. _ " The Mandalorian growled. "I even said thank you."

"You sure did," You replied, laughing. "Right before you passed out!"

He palmed over the side of your head roughly. "Brat." His grumble was fond, softening the edge of the insult. "Promise me you'll stay on the  _ Crest _ , Senaar, otherwise I'll ask Omera to take you  _ and _ the kid for an extended sleepover."

" _ Fine _ , I promise." You relented, huffing in annoyance.

He tinkered with his charts for a moment, then tilted his head again. "Where did you go earlier? I got done with Karga  _ hours _ ago. Couldn't find you."

You stiffened, abruptly absorbed in checking the fuel levels. "Oh you know. Around." You said breezily. 

"Well in the future, when you feel like going  _ around _ , at least let me  _ know _ so I don't think you've been abducted." Mando grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. 

"Aw, you're cute when you care!" You cooed, making him scoff and return to his control panel. 

…

In hindsight, he wasn't sure what he was more pissed off about. The fact that this Ezra character had led him on a wild fucking chase over  _ half _ of a suspiciously verdant moon, or the fact that his brain had apparently decided to shift into  _ overdrive _ regarding you. He couldn't get you off…

Get you off his mind, that is.  _ Stars _ , he was so confused. 

He felt like he had been walking in circles for hours, the only noise the steady  _ beep _ of the tracker. He was too hot.  _ Thirsty _ . His armor was chafing like it never had before; it was less like an extension of his body and more like a too-tight skin he needed to shed. Din finally bent over, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. 

"You look like shit," drawled an unfamiliar voice while a set of knuckles rapped on the back of his helmet. Djarin jerked upright and  _ immediately _ staggered, fumbling to grip a tree trunk for support. His vision swam uncertainly, and he blinked several times in an effort to clear it. 

The man in front of him was clad in a utilitarian suit that bore an unfamiliar logo, maybe a mining corporation. No duraplast or durasteel visible, no unnecessary frills, old-fashioned rubber gaskets to seal where glove met sleeve. Din's gaze traveled upwards, past the man's chest to his large domed helmet. He kept his motions deliberate. He had been caught off-guard by this man, but he wouldn't--

_ What?! _

"I'll assume you're encroaching upon my solitude to haul my undesirable personage back into civilized spaces?" The man inquired after Din had taken several  _ long _ seconds to try and understand what he was seeing. "For monetary compensation, if I  _ had _ to hazard a guess. There are few lures that tempt a man so far out into the uncharted."

_ Why does he have my face? _ Sure, the scars were different. Different facial hair, different hairstyle, and a wild little tuft of blond sprang from amidst the dark locks at his hairline. But it was  _ him _ . Same brown eyes, same  _ nose _ , same mouth curving into an infuriatingly benign smirk. Djarin was struck with the sudden urge to punch him, his belly writhing.

"I take it the dust has you firm in its grip. A real pity, that. I'd  _ love _ to sympathize, but regrettably I am at an advanced state of the same condition." The quarry gestured at his right arm, where a bloodstain blooming on the fabric of his suit indicated a loss of the integrity of said suit. "I'm Ezra, though I'm certain you're already  _ well _ aware. And you?"

"Irrelevant." Din grated out, clumsy fingers fumbling to get his binders off his belt. 

"A man of action, excellent! I shall acquiesce, but only because being removed from this Centaurian mass is  _ infinitely _ better than being confined to it." Ezra replied with a sage nod, extending his wrists. "Whither to, my recalcitrant steerforth?" 

"Be quiet." The Mandalorian grunted, his mind still reeling.  **_How_ ** _ does he have my face? _ Then, a new,  _ far _ more troubling thought occurred to him.

If he turned Ezra in, people would inadvertently know what he looked like. They wouldn't  _ know _ , but they would  _ know _ . What would that mean for him? For his dedication to the Creed? Did things like that count against him? Had something like this ever happened before?

"Tell me you, at the bare  _ minimum _ , have functional transport?" Ezra asked after Din had relieved him of his blaster, sounding hopeful. It was so strange hearing his own voice with such an odd,  _ imprecise _ cadence to it. The Mandalorian had worked for  _ years _ to improve his Basic so that anyone and  _ everyone _ would be able to understand him through the coarse modulator, though he still ended up sounding hitchy or curt most of the time. 

"How else would I have gotten here?" Din snapped, gesturing the other man forward with the encouragement of his own weapon.

At least now he knew how to get back to the  _ Crest _ , thank the Maker for his helmet and the tracking protocols he had. Now, observing his previous path of forward motion, he realized with a jolt how much it  _ wound _ back and forth. He  _ had _ been walking in circles.

Since when did he lose his sense of direction? Even in unknown territory, he usually had a damn good idea of which end was up. That concerned him.

And on top of  _ everything _ else, Ezra wouldn't  _ shut the hell up _ .

"Be quiet." Din muttered for what seemed like the thousandth time. How long had they been walking? Probably his own fault. With how much his head was spinning, he didn't dare deviate from the winding trail he had left. Even if a straight path would have been  _ miles _ quicker.

Ezra continued to drone, "a toilsome marathon of carnage, I assure-"

"I said, be _ fucking  _ quiet." 

The target huffed out a breath, but obliged Djarin's terse demand for the moment. Din's head was  _ pounding _ , his already short fuse shrinking with every word out of the talkative man's mouth. Was this the Maker's  _ hysterically _ ironic way of compensating for how little a solitary Mandalorian would speak? Making a doppelganger that was  _ ceaselessly _ chatty?

Din talked a lot more these days, between you and the kid. Maker,  _ you _ . His head swam again and a low, guilty heat throbbed in his belly. You talking to him, the way your  _ mouth _ moved around your words-

_ No.  _ **_No_ ** _ , stop _ , he told himself sternly, two fingers sliding idly between the gasket and gorget at his throat just so he could breathe a little easier. This planet's air felt  _ thick _ , like breathing through tar. 

"I would not indulge that craving, were I you." Ezra spoke up, the man obviously watching him claw at his neck. "The less exposure you have, the better." 

Din wanted to snap at him because  _ honestly how many times do I have to say shut the fuck up _ -

But then he stopped. Since when did he even  _ do _ things like breach the seal of  _ his own fucking helmet _ on an unfamiliar planet?! He flinched, tearing his hand away and hating the low, wry chuckle that issued from the quarry. The other man mused, "It's already too late for me, you know. I imagine I'll have an hour, perhaps two."

"What the hell are you talking about  _ now _ ."

"The dust, my armored associate. It permeates. Sludges the mental processes." Ezra shrugged with only one shoulder. "Among other things."

"How do you know so much about it?" Din gritted his teeth against the buzzing pain in his stomach. "Seems pretty stupid of you to hide out here."  _ Especially if you know the flora is deadly _ .

"There is naught to do on a freighter slingback aside from read." Ezra's eyes narrowed. "And I could hardly pick and choose which moon my pod decided to give out on, you monosyllabic  _ knuckle-dragger _ ."

"Watch your  _ mouth _ before I break it." Din snarled.

"Lo and behold, he comprehends! I assumed all you knew how to say was a stagnant variation on the theme of  _ be fucking quiet _ ." Ezra retorted with enraging cheer. 

Din's gloves creaked with the tension of his fists and he barely kept from slamming them into his temples. They were almost to the  _ Crest _ . Almost. Once they got there, he would throw this mouthy nerf herder into the carbonite and…

And what? And turn him over? And inadvertently compromise his whole identity, possibly destroy  _ decades _ of loyally obeying the Creed? 

All the deprivation, the loneliness, the weakness of his own heart...

"Be fucking quiet." The Mandalorian muttered, knowing full well that the other man hadn't said anything.  _ Be fucking quiet. Be fucking  _ **_quiet_ ** _ quiet quiet just fucking be  _ **_quiet--_ **

Din ground the heels of his palms against the curve of his helmet at his forehead, praying for some kind of relief.

_ Carbonite _ , he reminded himself.

…

Ezra grudgingly held his tongue, which even  _ he _ had to admit was a rarity. Unlike the other floaters that had approached him before and met their swift demise, this particular bounty hunter was  _ heavily _ kitted. The gleaming plate he sported didn't seem to hinder his motion in the slightest. 

_ Interesting _ .

Ezra knew when he had been outplayed, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't banking on the other man having a functional ship even  _ before _ he decided to go peacefully. 

The hunter (mentally dubbed Steerforth, he rudely had not introduced himself) obviously had no idea about the pollen, for all his outward preparedness. Clearly Serpentia was not as well known as Ezra had wished. 

_ Regrettable _ . 

He could hope that the bounty hunter hadn't been exposed, he mused. After all, the man was wearing that positively  _ arresting _ helmet, and his suit seemed of a sturdy (if unfamiliar) weave.  _ Here _ was an individual that Ezra would have to tread carefully around, if he wished to escape with his life. 

His faith waned a bit as he recalled watching the man 'track' him, winding back and forth through the trees like a drunken mule until Ezra had taken pity on him and turned himself in. 

The hunter was terse in his speech, likely weary from the chase. Ezra could sympathize, he was weary from running. It had almost been a relief when that last hunter had attacked him and forced him to crash the pod on this moon. Though his relief had quickly turned to dismay when Ezra had done a full turn outside his pod and realized just  _ what _ was making all the pollen in the air.

_ Serpentia _ , Serpent's Tongue. He had never encountered the plant in the proverbial flesh, but once upon a time he had been accidentally doused with the extract when a holding tank had burst while he was on a job site.

His skin crawled as he remembered the torment that followed during his solitary confinement. He had been nigh-certain he would not recover, clawing free of the haze that had gripped him with the barest vestiges of his mental faculties. 

This moon's Serpentia population seemed  _ infinitely _ kinder than the concentrate he had encountered, if only for its soft, creeping approach. It lapped at the base of his brain, dulled the edge of his panic until he was nearly  _ comfortable _ with the ache that licked hot in his groin. 

But thank Kevva for this bounty hunter lumbering through the brush! With a little luck, Ezra would be able to persuade him to accept a few pearls of aurelac in lieu of dragging him back to face that greatly-exaggerated justice.

...

According to the limited information from the  _ Crest's _ scans, the air on this moon was perfectly safe to breathe. 

And if what Mando had said was right, he probably would need the ship to himself for a little while to decontaminate. So you had posted up beside the ramp once he had departed, occasionally wiping the sweat off your brow. The atmosphere was humid and you watched as breezes too delicate for you to even feel nudged the thick pollen in the air this way and that. 

The moon was liberally coated with lush vegetation; just finding a place to safely land the  _ Razor Crest _ had been a Herculean effort. You wondered vaguely if there was a lake or spring nearby that you would be able to cool off in. The ship's fresher was functional, of course, but its water had been sitting in the holding tank for a few cycles now and it  _ smelled _ rusty. 

The pollen covered  _ everything _ , orange-red substance sticking to your already-damp skin. You grimaced, wondering if maybe you should have put on your suit. But no, the atmosphere was safe. The scans had said so, and you already spent so  _ much _ of your time in your thick suit…

The sunshine felt wonderful after all the hyperspace travel, like a warm embrace from a friend. You caught yourself wondering what Mando's hug might feel like. Probably _uncomfortable_ , what with all the beskar. You scoffed at your thoughts. You really needed to stop thinking about him like that, he _was_ technically your boss even if he called you his partner. So what if he had passed out on top of you? That had been an infection thing.

It wasn't as if he had stroked your cheek before he dropped, his voice breaking when he called you  _ Senaar _ ... 

So what if you had solicited not one, but  _ two _ Mandalorians during your last stop on Nevarro? 

It wasn't as if he noticed anything that you did, aside from when it had inconvenienced him. It wasn't as if you couldn't handle your little infatuation with him, even if it did result in you seeking out Mandos that  _ would _ give you attention.

You propped your chin up on your hand, your eyes half-focusing on the dust floating in the air. It was nice to just  _ relax _ for once, though there was a little guilty sensation in your stomach. Because Mando was out there  _ working _ , while you...were lounging around, soaking up the sunlight.

You weren't sure how long you sat there, but you finally got up with a groan and a stretch that felt  _ heavenly _ . You would investigate the surrounding area, you decided, maybe you could rustle up something fresh. If you couldn't be active on the hunt for the quarry, you could at least restock the larders.

After what only felt like a few steps, you quickly stumbled across thick vines that bore an unfamiliar, violet-hued fruit. The fruit was the size of your fist, and the skin had slight give to it. Light-colored flowers dotted the vine here and there, their tiny stamens crested with heavy crowns of thick pollen. Clearly you had located one of the many sources of the dust that choked the air. 

You picked one of the fruits and propped it up on a flat rock, using your trusty field knife to slice it open. It had orange pulp inside it, and a small hollow in the middle filled with pinkish fluid. The whole fruit reminded you of a sunset. Dimly, you thought that you probably shouldn't be  _ touching _ this fruit with your bare skin, on the off chance that it might be caustic or toxic. But it looked  _ delicious _ . 

Surely just a little taste wouldn't hurt?

The pinkish fluid was almost  _ overwhelmingly _ sweet, and  _ sticky _ . It dribbled down your chin when you tipped the fruit to slurp it up. You laughed at yourself, tugging your tunic to scrub at your face. 

_ Mando will love these _ .

You weren't sure where the thought came from, but  _ obviously _ it was true. The idea of Mando being alone, slipping off his helmet to eat...the juice from the fruit glistening on his mouth…

Your breathing had quickened. You carefully harvested more of the round fruit, tucking the ripe produce into the makeshift cradle of your tunic. Once you decided you had enough, you turned on your heel and went to make your way back to the  _ Crest _ . 

...

_ No. _

_ No no no no no _ -

Din stared at the partially-ajar ramp on the  _ Crest _ and he wanted to yell. 

"Oh dear." Ezra murmured faintly. "What a predicament." He had been getting quieter and quieter the closer they drew to the ship, so hearing him talk again sent a jolt down Din's spine. "You left your egress open? How careless of you."

" _ I _ didn't." Din snarled, wrapping his fingers around the binders on Ezra's wrists.  _ You _ . The throbbing in his stomach lurched.

Ezra's eyes widened and he abruptly planted his feet. Din hadn't realized just how off-kilter he was, normally something like a shift in weight wouldn't be enough to make him stagger. But he almost toppled, barely getting his balance back in time. "Is there someone else on that ship?" Ezra asked sharply. 

"Of course." Din didn't even think to lie. "Partner."

"Would they have wandered? Exposed themselves?" The prospector-thief-quarry continued to quiz him and Din resented it  _ just _ a little. 

"Be quiet," He grunted, tapping at his gauntlet to open the ramp, "and get in the fucking hold."

Ezra abruptly drew himself up to his full height. "I do not believe you actually  _ want _ me to do that." He intoned with difficulty, his teeth gritted. "Putting myself, yourself and the potential of one more infected person into an enclosed space is a very…" His words faltered. "Oh."

Din whirled, visor traveling up the ramp into the dim hold. And just barely visible at the edge of the ramp, a small pile of what looked like fruit-- _ was that your leg?! _ He lunged forward, his blaster ready. 

"I would not advise you to approach them!" Ezra barked.

" _ Fuck _ you!" Din snapped, striding up the ramp to kneel alongside your body. He crushed one of the fruits beneath his knee, lurid pink juice erupting to soak into his suit. The color was high in your cheeks, your body blotchy with flush. Pollen encrusted your neck and shoulders, drifted through your hair; something pink and shiny coated your lips like a strange gloss.

Din caught himself leaning in and jerked back at the urgency in Ezra's voice when the prospector called, "Do they  _ breathe _ , man?"

"Be  _ quiet! _ " Djarin roared. Why hadn't he checked that first? What was  _ wrong _ with him? He shoved his vambrace against your mouth, his chest clenching in relief when your breath fogged the metal.  _ Stars _ . 

"I'm afraid this complicates things quite significantly." Ezra said loudly, fidgeting at the base of the ramp. "I was unaware you had a partner of the... _ other _ biological persuasion. Had it just been you and I, two masculine-presenting bipeds, things would have been miles simpler."

"What the hell are you saying  _ now? _ " Din was getting tired of this shit, tired of listening to the other man  _ talk _ . 

"This plant is...shall we say,  _ heteronormative _ ." Ezra drawled, waving his bound hands in the air to illustrate the cloying pollen. Din cocked his head in confusion. "You know, masculine and feminine? Male and female? Different.  _ Hetero _ ."

Djarin scoffed derisively. "My people don't care about that shit." 

"A noble practice to be certain,  _ very _ forward-thinking."

"This is the Way." The Mandalorian replied. 

Ezra soldiered on, "Unfortunately, the plant that infests this planet does  _ indeed _ differentiate. Fruit for the female, pollen for the male." He added hurriedly, "in the biological sense, of course! I will not make any assumptions about your partner. The fruit is a...a catalyst. Are you familiar with the old-Earth religious writings, the ones that mention the Garden? Or perhaps the Greek pantheon may have been more your style?" When Djarin shook his head, Ezra sighed. "The genus name in Basic is slippin' my mind. But this particular iteration is known as Serpent's Tongue, Serpentia. It is Medusine in nature and it inspires feelings of…" Ezra paused, licking his lips nervously. "Heat." 

"Heat." Din repeated blankly,  _ knowing _ that he must be missing something. 

Ezra ducked his head, breaking eye contact. "As in,  _ being in heat _ ." The man clarified after a moment. 

"Excuse me?" 

"I'm-"

" _ Excuse me? _ " Din snarled, running his fingers through the juices that coated his knee. It was thick, sticky like syrup, why was it  _ warm _ \--He bolted to his feet and stalked back down the ramp. Ezra took a step back, and then another, the quarry obviously wary of him.  _ Good _ . The satisfied feeling took some of the edge off his frustrated panic. "So what the  _ hell _ is wrong with my partner?" Din grated out.

"Er, to couch it in layman's terms…" Ezra hesitated, clearing his throat. "They are aroused."

_ Aroused. Aroused. Aroused. _ "Sexually?" Din  _ hated _ the way the word came out, all breathy like he was a youngling that had just learned about the  _ wonders _ of copulation. 

Ezra nodded, grimacing. "From the sound of your tone, I would hazard a guess that the two of you have not been intimate."

"Why would we have been?" Din retorted bluntly.

Ezra raised an eyebrow, seeming as if he was avoiding looking at you.  _ Good.  _ **_Mine_ ** _. _ Din had no idea where the hell  _ that _ thought came from. "Oh of course, I was foolish to assume so blatantly." The prospector muttered. "That  _ does _ complicate your own matters further, however. Were you previously sexually intertwined, this would have been much more simple." He suddenly doubled over at the waist, a loud grunt forced from his mouth and a low exclamation of, " _ fuck _ , fuck-"

The curse sent a hot flicker down Din's spine and it took him a second to realize that you had made a noise in reply. You sounded dazed, scared. He whirled on the ramp and knelt again, taking your hand. "Senaar, you coming around?" Your eyes looked... _ wrong _ , blinking open slowly; your pupils were  _ blown _ like you'd been spiced. 

You stared up at him for several long seconds before your mouth opened. "Wanted to make lunch." You managed to say. "I don't feel good." 

"Well, you don't look so great either." Din said gruffly. 

"Bastard." You groaned at him, trying to sit up. "Maker, I feel so  _ hot _ , I...oh! Oh no, you smushed one." You appeared to have noticed the remains of the sticky fruit currently seeping into his knee. "I wanted you to try it. Tastes...tastes...it's so sweet Mando, s'like candy." You saying his name (even if it wasn't his actual name,  _ shit _ ) was like a lightning bolt to his groin. You dragged your hand over his knee, gathering up the remnants of the fruit and then sliding your fingers into your mouth. 

You brought him  _ food _ . His lungs felt too full and not full enough.  _ Stars _ , the idea of you feeding him that, smearing it all over his mouth with those pretty little fingers-

No, the helmet. The helmet.  _ He couldn't take off the helmet. _ The Creed.

He jerked his head up, looking to Ezra. The other man was still doubled over, holding his midsection as best as he could with his hands bound. 

A dark, uncharacteristically  _ evil _ thought wound its way into Din's mind, sweet and smokey like a good  _ ne'tra gal _ . "Get in the ship." He grunted. Ezra glanced up and Din was a little startled by the level of emotion he displayed. He wasn't used to seeing expressions play out on his own face. The other man seemed  _ wildly _ uncomfortable and Din found that grounding, for whatever reason. 

"I do not dare to." Ezra panted finally. "Just being this close is...immensely troubling. I am not the master of my own body at this moment, Steerforth."

"Is this the target?" You asked softly. Din nodded and he could almost  _ feel _ your eyes raking over the other man. "What happened? He's hurt."

_ Shit _ , he had nearly forgotten. Ezra was still bleeding from his arm. The quarry had obviously forgotten as well, clearly dealing with a much more pressing matter. 

You beckoned to the other man and Din had to rein in the knee-jerk reaction to grab his blaster as Ezra reluctantly approached. He had never been territorial about you before, what the hell was the matter with him? 

Ezra halted a good five feet away from you, keeping his head down. "I am Ezra. I apologize in advance for my untoward behavior." He muttered, his voice gone so low and gravelly he actually  _ did _ sound like Din. The Mandalorian's stomach pitched uncertainly. "I am not myself at this point in time."

"What happened to your arm?" Your tone was warm,  _ concerned _ . Din's fists clenched. "Did Mando do that?"

"Oh, no! Of course not. Your compatriot has been nothing if not a complete gentleman." Ezra replied wryly. "I sustained this injury during a previous floater's quarrel."

…

You hummed and you saw Mando stiffen up out of the corner of your eye. What was  _ wrong _ with him? One second he had been leaning over you, all worry and hand holding. The next, he was barking at the quarry. 

And the quarry was  _ hurt _ .  _ Ezra, Ezra _ , his slow drawl making your head swim and your chest tingle. Never mind Mando, what was wrong with  _ you? _ You felt so strange, like you were hyper-fixated. 

Maker, maybe you shouldn't have eaten that fruit. "I'm sorry." You apologized to Mando, your lower lip beginning to quiver. "I just wanted to give-"

"Be quiet." He ordered, his voice startlingly gentle. A gloved thumb pressed to your lower lip and you stared up at him, opening your mouth automatically even though you knew he was just wiping the juice away. You were startled when he slid his thumb into your mouth, but you obligingly cleaned the juice from the leather with your tongue. Shouldn't this be strange? But Mando just  _ did _ it, like it was normal. Maybe it  _ was _ normal. 

Your mind flew back to your sultry encounter on Nevarro, how you had  _ occupied _ yourself while Mando wrapped up his business with the Guild, and warmth lanced through your stomach as you recalled greedy gloved hands grasping and caressing your bare skin-

"Steerforth, if you are to carry on in that heated demonstration I  _ must _ plead for the carbonite treatment that you were so hellbent on throwing myself into earlier." Ezra sounded like he was in pain. "I have only endured this once before and it was a torment that threatened my already-tenuous sanity. Have fucking  _ mercy _ man, I implore-"

"Be  _ quiet _ ." Mando snapped, "we have to treat your arm, right?"

" _ Fuck _ ." Ezra swore again, the sound writhing through your belly. " _ Hurry _ then."

"Get in the ship. I'll turn on the filters."

"Do  _ not _ leave me alone with them, I implore you!" Ezra cried, that domed helmet finally tilting enough for you to catch a glimpse of his face. "I am  _ not _ the master of my own body, Steerforth." 

His eyes were dark,  _ impossibly dark _ , and frantic as he argued with Mando. His skin seemed tanned or olive through the sun-struck dome of his suit's helmet. Short brown hair was plastered flat to his forehead with sweat, and the lower half of his face was coated in a somewhat unkempt mess of facial scruff. Too long to be five o'clock shadow, but too bedraggled to be dubbed anything else.

_ Roguish _ , you decided, wanting to laugh at yourself.  _ He looks roguish _ . What a ridiculous thought to have!  _ Not  _ **_obviously_ ** _ dangerous like Mando, but still dangerous _ . Was that your heartbeat throbbing in your ears? You sighed softly, taking a step towards the other man without meaning to. 

Mando's hand was suddenly on your arm. "Hold it. Treatment. We have to treat his wound." He said gruffly. 

You nodded.  _ Of course _ . Who knew what he had been exposed to through the breach in his suit? "I was going to help him walk?"

Mando shook his head. "You get the kit. You've got no gear on. He's contaminated." He reasoned. "Get me the kit and then seal yourself into the cockpit so we can filter the hold." You nodded again and his hand found your cheek, gloved fingers grazing your neck before he jerked back. "S...Sorry." he apologized.

"It's okay." You whispered.

…

Ezra, helmet discarded and suit stripped to the waist, flinched away from Din's touch  _ yet _ again. " _ Stop _ . This is a bad wound. It'll get infected if I do this wrong." Din snapped. He rarely encountered blaster wounds that  _ didn't _ self-cauterize, even though that tended to come with its own set of problems.

"I do not  _ mean _ to tear free." Ezra protested. "Blood flow has increased. I am…" He paused, biting his lower lip. " _ Sensitive _ . Surely you have a handheld? One of the burners? Just  _ burn _ it shut man,  _ Kevva _ , I cannot even endure the graze of your fingers." 

"If I give you a burner patch, it'll seal in the infection." Din reasoned, flushing the wound again. "Focus on something else."

"I  _ cannot _ ." Ezra said sharply. "There is only one matter my brain currently wishes to focus on, and it is not the dire straits of my wounded arm." 

"Them?" Din asked, keeping his voice low. 

Ezra shot him a guilty look from beneath his sweat-matted fringe of brown hair, finally nodding. "It is ludicrous, but I feel as though I can  _ taste _ them." He confessed. "Gods, I wish I had never landed on this accursed moon. I wish I had never encountered the Serpentia."

"What will happen?" Din did his best to maintain his vocal level as he bandaged the other man's wound.

"Arousal. Sheer,  _ unadulterated _ arousal. You ache, like the worst fever you've ever had. I've heard it is even more excruciatin' for those of the other human biological persuasion, due to their genitals being internal. Though it is Medusine in nature, so it has a...failsafe, of sorts. You are seized with the primal instinct to mate, conquer, claim. It does not stop until you have buried your...until you have sheathed yourself in an orifice." Ezra was gasping for air. Obviously just  _ talking _ about it was enough to cause him distress, either that or Djarin was being rougher than he thought. "Steerforth  _ please _ , I-"

"This will cause them pain?" Din asked slowly. 

Ezra nodded jerkily. "I have been told it's like a sickly, stabbing heat. Fingers are not enough to…er, extinguish the flames." His cheeks flushed. "The tongue soothes, but not overlong. Internals require certain length, and... _ rigidity _ ." Din didn't miss the way his eyes flickered down to the beskar that covered his upper thighs. "When last I encountered this damned flora, I suffered the effects alone and I felt as if I would go mad."

_ Tongue. Fingers. Rigidity _ . Din's mind reeled. "Specifics." He gritted out, his body awash with heat in his armor when Ezra made a pitiful noise.

" _ Kevva _ , have  _ mercy _ on me Steerforth."

"I said.  _ Specifics _ ." Din fisted a glove in the other man's hair, tilting his head back and forcing him to look up. Ezra moved, albeit reluctantly, the Adam's apple of his throat bobbing when he swallowed. "Specifics." Din repeated himself, a little softer this time.

Ezra shuddered all over. "They will seek you out. To be fucked." He said, cringing a bit as if he disliked using the word. "You must open them up with your tongue first, dissolve the Medusine barrier with saliva. That's the failsafe, you see, an individual of that biological persuasion who is suffering cannot be penetrated without tender effort. Ease into it and  _ perhaps _ they will not loathe you when this madness has run its course-"

"I can't." Din interrupted. 

"What?" Ezra gawked at him. 

"I can't. T-Tongue. Not allowed. Forbidden." Din felt like he was drunk. "Helmet."

The other man's brow furrowed. "You can, I presume, take off other portions of your plate?"

Din shook his head, wishing that he could explain it better. "Technically yes, but it's frowned upon. Exceptions happen. And under  _ no _ circumstances can I take the helmet off." 

"How in the  _ Fringe _ have you ever-"

"I...inspire  _ feelings _ in people." That was probably the most delicate way he could have said  _ I cater exclusively to bipeds with a predator/prey fetish _ . Din grimaced. "I'm large and imposing. Usually that's...enough. No need for warm up." He said awkwardly. "Armor stays on."

"What a bewildering existence!" Ezra tilted his head in disbelief. "So you have never removed…?"

Din shook his head. "Not in the presence of others. The Creed forbids it."

"Your dedication is admirable, but unfortunately it leaves your partner twisting in the wind." The quarry pointed out. "I would offer my services, but I am an unknown and-"

"Yes." Din gritted out, that dark  _ thought _ slithering back through his mind. 

"Yes?"

"Your services." Din took a deep breath. He didn't  _ bargain _ with quarry, but this man  _ had his face _ . He couldn't turn him in without jeopardizing  _ everything _ he had sworn his life to. "In exchange, when this is...when they no longer require your services, I'll let you go."

Ezra's eyebrows bunched together. "I'm afraid I don't follow, Steerforth."

"I don't want them to be in  _ pain _ ." Din's voice grated in his throat and he watched Ezra's eyes widen in comprehension. "I don't want them to hurt."

"You...this is not just the Serpentia. You have a prior attachment to them."

"It doesn't matter what I  _ do _ or don't have." Djarin muttered dismissively. "Because of the Creed, I...I can't. But you can."

"You can't give them your  _ mouth _ , certainly, but there are-"

"If it's what makes it possible, you  _ have _ to do it!" Din interjected sharply. "I  _ don't  _ want them to hurt."

"I need you to comprehend what you're askin' of me!" Ezra shot back, his bound fists clenched tight enough to whiten his knuckles. "They don't know me from Job, and you're all but demanding I violate their trust-"

" _ I don't want them to hurt! _ " Din roared, startling himself with his own furious reaction. Whatever else he was about to say was cut off by your staggering descent on the ladder. You  _ looked _ unwell. Ezra skittered back a few steps, falling on his ass with a muffled swear. 

"Mando?" Your voice wavered and you swayed at the ladder. Din lurched forward, tucking you into his arms as you sniffled, "I don't feel so good. I think I'm sick." You were radiating heat that he could feel even through his suit. Your tunic was soaked with sweat.

" _ Osi'kyr _ ." Din cursed under his breath after he swapped to his infrared and saw just how brilliant your signature was. "Listen to me, alright Senaar?" He murmured, simultaneously loving and hating the way you nodded in a docile manner. "We know what can fix this. But it's not…" he paused, searching for the right term. 

" _ Appropriate _ ." Ezra supplied loudly. 

"I feel awful." Your whimper made Din's stomach ache. His cock rubbed against the confines of his compression leggings. 

_ Ignore it _ .

"I know you do." Din pressed his palm to your forehead. "Listen to me. We can fix this. You trust me, right?" Your nod was immediate and Din barely stifled his groan. "Ezra knows what's wrong. Ezra can help."

"He can help?" You echoed blearily, looking past Din. "Okay. He said something about the fruit before, right? I shouldn't have eaten it. M'sorry. Was it poison?"

"Poison may have been simpler to endure." Ezra muttered. "It is an aphrodisiac. Do  _ not _ blame yourself. The fruit is visually appealing for a reason, otherwise the plant would not be able to propagate."

…

_ Aphrodisiac _ . Your mouth was flooded with that sweet taste at the sound of Ezra's drawling voice, the groan that followed burrowing into your blood. 

You had never felt this way before. Your body ached and  _ twisted _ , arousal pooling uncomfortably in your pelvis. Everything felt like it was  _ trapped _ , your tunic sticking to your skin with sweat.  _ Aphrodisiac _ . 

"Please pay attention." Ezra sighed. "I understand this is incredibly distracting, but I have a limited window of coherence." He was trembling slightly, still avoiding your eyes. "Your partner has requested I aid you where he cannot. I will not  _ harm _ you." He said with gravity. "This is a situation which bodes exceptionally poorly and I am...I am truly sorry for dragging you into this mess."

"Oh, it's okay. Mando gets me into messes all the time." You brushed off his apology and Ezra choked out a bitter laugh. 

"I fear you may change your tune once the pain truly starts." He remarked.

"He says it'll hurt." Mando murmured. "Like stabbing."

You knew your eyes widened with fear because Mando was quick to envelope you in his arms again. He had never been this  _ touchy _ before. It was...strangely nice. The coolness of his armor felt  _ wonderful _ on your skin and you moaned in relief. Mando went stiff at your noise, his gloved fingers clutching the nape of your neck. Up until this point, you had just felt some minor throbbing. Distracting, but negligible.

This was different.

...

Your breath hitched in your throat and your fists curled into his suit, knees buckling as a low, wavering cry left your lips. Din jerked at the sound. He had  _ never _ heard you make that kind of noise before, not even when you had been shot--

Oh he was fucked. He was  _ so _ fucked. Was he excited or terrified? "Easy, you're okay, you're okay," he soothed, clumsily brushing the hair back from your face. Who was he even trying to convince?! 

"Make your choice expediently, Steerforth. Am I to be thrown in carbonite or put to work?" Ezra queried through gritted teeth. 

"You know I would never do anything to hurt you." Din said to you, ignoring the other man for the moment. "I won't let anything happen to you. I need you to trust me for right now, alright? We can fix this."

Your grip on him tightened even further. "I don't like how this feels." You whispered. 

Din closed his eyes in a futile attempt to ward off his own self-loathing, pressing your cheek against his breastplate. "I know, Senaar. I'll be right here with you. I just...can't give you what you'll need." He stuttered, offering on a desperate whim, "I-I can hold you, if you want." You nodded frantically into his armor. 

"If you have a...a blanket. A sheet.  _ Something _ for the floor, we are going to make a mess and I am uncertain if we will be able to protect your partner's modesty." Ezra muttered, his bound hands resting surreptitiously over his groin. "They may be more enthusiastic than one would anticipate."

Din patted your elbow, trying to gentle his voice. "Go get your pillow." 

"O-Okay." You gulped. 

Din tore into one of his many lockers once you released him, the armored man frantically digging around for his extra bedding. Ezra staggered to his feet, moving in close to Din. So that you wouldn't hear him speak, no doubt. 

"There is still time for you to freeze me, Steerforth. I am not a man without morality, tattered though it may be." He murmured, and Din noticed that his weary brown eyes were surrounded by the same deep lines and cracks that Djarin's own face sported. The Mandalorian hadn't ever paid much mind to just how  _ many _ expressions he still made beneath the helmet, probably because he knew no one would see them.

Din grabbed the other man's shoulder, searching those eyes. Ezra stared at his impenetrable visor, probably confused by his silence. "I need your  _ help _ ." Din rasped seriously. He didn't trust this guy as far as he could throw him, but he could live with the uneasy truce if it would…if it meant that he could…

Stars, this was all so damn  _ wrong _ . 

Ezra finally nodded. "I will do my best to assist with the... _ emotional _ aftermath. This is not your fault, or theirs. This is merely an unfortunate side effect of a hazardous occupation."

"Thank you."

Ezra's eyebrows shot up, but other than that he gave no indication of his surprise. Din elbowed him to the side, unfolding the thick blanket and spreading it out carefully on the floor of the hold.

…

This was  _ certainly _ an odd predicament. 

Ezra could not say he had ever been in such a charged scenario, despite his checkered history. His jaw worked thoughtfully as he watched the armored man devote an  _ obscene _ amount of care to smoothing the wrinkles out of his blanket. 

Arousal swirled around him like the thick pollen outside, but it was tempered by the terrible memory of that singular past experience where he had rubbed himself bloody on the inside of his suit. He knew he was worse off than Steerforth. No, what had you called him?  _ Mando _ . 

_ Curious _ . 

A Creed that prevented the devout from showing the world their face.

_ Curious _ . And  _ familiar _ , somehow. Ezra spooled his mind back, trying to recall  _ why _ it was familiar. He couldn't focus however, his own breathing becoming too distracting. 

Mando hadn't gotten nearly as much of the pollen as him. The other man seemed unbearably,  _ impossibly _ calm in the light of what was about to occur. Maybe it was an illusion afforded by that unreadable helm, or brought about by his lack of prior experience.

Ezra was wildly jealous all the same. "What is their name?" He asked softly. 

Mando fixed him with a look and  _ Kevva _ , that helmet was indeed imposing. "I call them Senaar. It...it means bird." He sounded reluctant, like he didn't even want to give up  _ that _ much. "Names are sacred in the Creed. I couldn't give them mine so they didn't give me theirs, but I had to call them something."

"No  _ names _ in the Creed, either?" Ezra asked incredulously. 

The armored man shook his head. "To outsiders we are all Mando. To us, we are  _ Mando'ade _ . This is the Way."

"A veritable  _ legion _ of nameless, featureless warriors." Ezra muttered, mainly to himself. He rattled his restraints after a moment. "Am I to remain bound during this frotfest, Steerforth?"

"I'm not stupid enough to give you free range. Be grateful I didn't secure them behind your back instead." Mando snarked.

"I will not harm your little bird." Ezra protested.

"I know." Mando leaned in slightly, broad shoulders made even more intimidating by the blue-steel pauldrons that graced them. "I would kill you before you got the chance."

_ Oh _ , such confidence! Ezra wished he was in his right mind, he would  _ obliterate _ this smug cretin--

His breath caught in his throat as you returned from your excursion. Gods, he had nearly forgotten what he was being called to do. He warred with the obscene urge that dragged his gaze to the crux of your thighs. "A divine sight." He murmured, not lying for once. This entire day had been remarkably truthful. 

You actually gave him a ribald wink, and that eased his conscience slightly. Perhaps you were not the unsullied, blushing virgin he had feared you might be. Obviously you had used the time you took to grab your pillow wisely, maybe even given yourself a bit of a pep talk. 

"Have you done this before?" Ezra asked, half-joking. He heard Mando audibly  _ gulp _ in that damn bucket when you nodded, a pained smile curving your lips. "Not under the effects of such altering substances, I pray?" 

"Nah, nothing like that." You replied, shaking your head. "It was back on Nevarro, I-"

" _ Nevarro? _ " Mando hissed. "You disappeared on me for  _ hours _ .  _ That's _ what you were up to?!"

You shrugged weakly. "It doesn't really matter but...there were two Mandalorians, and I wanted, um, something that seemed familiar, I guess." You admitted, your tone remarkably cool for the subject matter. 

Ezra hid his grin. He was  _ hardly _ immune to the allure of saucy gossip, and there was nothing quite like gossip that had no particular bearing on him. " _ Two?! _ " The armored man's voice squeaked even through the thick modulation and Ezra burst out laughing, the binders knocking his jaw when he tried to stifle his mirth. 

"I meant more whether you had engaged in copulation in  _ general _ , but I suppose that would have been a pertinent question as well." He mused once he got himself under control, the low buzz in his stomach blossoming into an excited thrum. "How fortunate that you would be so generous when it comes to your partners, little bird."

"What do you mean,  _ familiar? _ " Mando carried on over him, obviously agitated by the fresh knowledge that his partner may or may not have some... _ tendencies _ . Ezra almost wanted to laugh again; you were nothing if not  _ painfully _ transparent. Seeking out others like the armored man to have their way with you? Clearly you harbored some sort of affection, kept secret and safe by the walls that humans build around themselves.

But Serpentia had a funny way of sliding that dastardly pink slick through all defenses, leaving the body raw and exposed.

"I mean  _ familiar _ ." You replied, your pillow like a shield between yourself and Mando. Ezra settled back to watch the show, well aware that his smirk was probably insufferable. "I have  _ needs _ , you know." You continued primly. 

Mando's fists clenched on his thighs before he pointedly flattened them back out, fingers dragging over the plates. "I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't...I'm sorry." He mumbled, patting his leg. 

You wavered again and nearly fell. The armored man caught you, settling you down with a cautious tenderness that fired a thrower shot of arousal  _ directly _ into Ezra's gut. He had always been a weak fool for chivalry, though he was able to display precious little of it in his own life. Oh, this was the  _ best _ kind of story. 

...

Your face burned with embarrassment;  _ why _ had you told him about your rendezvous with two other members of his Creed? It was like the words just fell out of your mouth, like your brain itself was against you. 

You could still remember the way the larger one had pressed his forehead to your own and then encouraged you down his chest to his groin, the way his helmet had tipped back--

A new flood of warmth swept into your cunt and you bit down on your hand to stifle your noise at the  _ pain _ that followed. Mando paused, then laid your pillow between his open legs. "Lay down on your back." He muttered, patting his leg again. "This way you can see me. I'll be right here."

"I'm-"

"Don't apologize,  _ please _ ." Mando cut you off. "Once this is over, once everything is...over, I...listen, we'll operate as a sealed unit. This maneuver is scrubbed from the start. I never found the quarry. Nothing that we say or do here will ever be mentioned again. Understood?"

Your breath caught in your throat. He was giving you an out. Or himself, you were uncertain. You nodded slowly and his shoulders drooped a little, but whether he was relieved or disappointed…

Well, some secrets were meant to stay that way. 

Ezra nodded his own agreement. "It is best to have certain protocol already in place when engaging in uncharted waters." He muttered. "Decidedly militant, but I must surmise your Creed taught you that."

"This is the Way." Mando said firmly. 

"If we are operating under burner infantry orders, then I must voice my trepidation about this engagement," Ezra confessed to you. "I have endured this crisis once before and it was not a pleasant experience. I do not envy the pain I am certain you feel at this moment, but I also know that you are in a...compromised and sensitive position. I...if any advance is unwanted, I trust you will inform me. And if I do not respond, if I am too far gone, please have your associate rescind my invitation." He gestured at Mando with his bound hands. 

"Wh-What are you going to do to me?" You asked, your voice high in your ears even as you let Mando maneuver you down to the blanket.

"I am going to do for you what your companion cannot, little bird." Ezra's tongue dampened his lips nervously. "And  _ only _ that, if I understand the situation correctly."

"What he…" you trailed off as a thought occurred to you. Ezra hummed quietly as if to confirm and the sound reverberated through your core, making you whine and squirm restlessly. "Oh,  _ what _ , stars, you mean-"

"My mouth, little bird." He had a tiny section of blond hair on the right side of his head, the tuft residing rakishly  _ just _ at his hairline. You hadn't noticed until now, but the whimsical little patch seemed to soften his stern features. "You will need the saliva, regrettably. I am certain that the idea of the mouth of a lowly aurelac harvester on you is a  _ repulsive _ one, but it is the only way to get the proverbial ball rolling." 

"Wait, you have to eat me out?" You asked in confusion, trying to get back up. "Hang on, I should shower, I'll-" Agony raked down your spine and you spasmed, a breathy sound of pain forcing itself past your lips.

Ezra's incredulous chuckle soothed the sensation back down to a manageable level. "What an unexpected offer, little bird! I cannot recall the last time someone bathed specifically for me. You will wholly ensnare me if you continue such considerate behavior." 

…

Din's body felt like it was on fire in his armor. 

You had gone looking for people like him. 

You had gone  _ looking _ for Mandos because you wanted  _ familiarity _ . The idea of you sussing out more of his brothers or sisters because you had  _ needs _ -

Din wasn't sure if he would survive this particular encounter. He was gripping his cuisses so tightly that the leather of his gloves  _ burned _ against his fingertips. Mandalorians weren't celibate by any stretch of the imagination, but the Creed could make things...more difficult than they needed to be for a variety of species.

Ezra, despite his hands being bound, was remarkably capable. The man had coached you through the pain when you had tried to move, his voice obviously  _ helping _ you somehow. Djarin wasn't sure if he was jealous or grateful. Maybe both.

The fact that this was causing you to suffer had him loathing how stiff his cock was in his compression leggings, even though from what he had gathered he couldn't actually  _ help _ that particular reaction. 

"I must beg your assistance in disrobing." Ezra was saying softly, tugging at the overly-knotted waistband of your loose pants. "Please, little bird."

"Right, yeah, of course." You mumbled and Djarin could  _ hear _ the pain in your voice, could feel the twitchy little flinches as you tried to follow Ezra's directions. 

Hesitantly, the Mandalorian moved his hands up until they rested on your shoulders. You exhaled a breathy little moan, nuzzling your cheek against his glove in what he had to assume was thanks.

"Better." You gasped, seeming more sure as you struggled to undo the sash at your waist. 

"Well  _ done _ , Steerforth." Ezra praised, causing something  _ warm _ and  _ wet _ to pour into Din's abdomen. The armored man's breathing stuttered, was  _ this _ what Ezra had been feeling the entire time they had been walking?  _ Stars _ , how had he even managed-

His cock lurched against the tight hold of his leggings, precome dampening his stomach. Without meaning to, Din's fingers tightened on your shoulders and he grunted quietly. 

Your eyes shot up, locking with his visor. He knew you couldn't actually  _ see _ him, but at that moment he felt  _ exposed _ . "You alright?" You asked quietly, your breath hiccuping when Ezra brushed the stubble of his jaw against your naked thigh. Din  _ ached _ to do that himself,  _ Maker _ he wished-

"I'm fine." He choked, like he wasn't roasting alive from the double-edged heat of artificial arousal and jealousy. His left hand slid down, resting at the hollow of your throat. It soothed his ego a little to see that your eyes were still on him, despite what the quarry was about to do. 

_ Ezra _ , he reminded himself. This man wasn't prey anymore, for all that he was keeping the binders on. Din at least needed  _ that _ level of control. He needed the stability.

That recurrent devious thought surged forward again, dark and heady. Utilizing Ezra, he could indulge vicariously in the hazy desires he had fought for  _ cycles _ . The wish to bury his face between your legs and eat you out until you  _ cried _ , like in the raunchy imagecasts he picked up on rare occasion. Putting his bare hands on you,  _ stars _ -

Din Djarin was a man of extreme self-control. So far, he hadn't overstepped or shamed the Creed, unless you counted the time he was loaded out of his mind with bacteria-laden quills. He hadn't realized just how  _ many _ of them were embedded in his back until his vision started getting blurry as he was standing over the nexu's dead body. Served him right for letting the feline get the drop on him before he put his backplate on.

You had been so worried when he returned. You were patched into his coms so you obviously heard the struggle he had dispatching the creature. Heard how ragged his breath got and how hard he had to  _ actually _ fight. 

Din vaguely remembered flopping down on his belly with you hovering over him, pliers in one hand and bacta shot already buried in the meat of his shoulder. Stars, it was  _ great _ to have a partner sometimes. If he had come back to just the kid like that, he'd probably be dead from an infection. You didn't even make him take off his suit, you just worked around it. 

You ended up removing thirty-seven quills of various lengths, most of them bearing nasty hooked barbs. The pain had hit different because of the infection, leaving Djarin trembling boneless and silent on the floor of the hold while you wriggled quills out of his back. He had never felt more helpless, more  _ vulnerable _ , beskar be damned. 

" _ It's alright. I'm glad you made it back _ ." You had said calmly. " _ I'm not letting you go alone next time, though _ ."

" _ Thank you _ ,  _ Senaar… _ "

Din's face flushed when he recalled how badly his voice had cracked when saying the name he called you by, less speech and more a plaintive cry. The way his glove had slipped over the skin of your cheek, and how he had  _ longed _ to remove that glove...

Maker, he sullied the Creed with his inability to reconcile over lack of touch. The hunger for skin-to-skin contact that reared its ugly head every time you were out of your heavy exosuit and durasteel served as a painful reminder, one  _ much _ more poignant than the simple weight of his helm, that he was a Mandalorian.

But this doppelganger loophole was a gift to be  _ thoroughly _ exploited and he wasn't about to waste that opportunity. 

Ezra buried his face between your legs and Din  _ felt _ the way your entire body coiled up in anticipation, another trembling cry leaving your lips and your hands twisting frantically into the blanket beneath you. "Mando-!"

_ His _ name,  _ his _ name, you were saying  _ his _ name even with another man's mouth giving you pleasure. Djarin couldn't help the satisfied little growl that left his lips and made its way through his modulator. He heard Ezra chuckle, the other man pausing to shoot him a sly wink over the length of your body. Din nearly laughed.

"Ezra," He said instead, his voice coming out rougher than he intended. "Make them cry."

He stopped caring about how wrong it was.

…

You gasped at Mando's words, already inches from bursting into tears. Ezra's mouth was slowly coaxing you open, the stubble on his cheeks and jaw rubbing your thighs. Every pass of his tongue, every gentle press and suckle sought to untangle the knotted ball of heat in your belly, but you were certain you would lose your mind before you managed to disperse the agonizing feeling.

You were too  _ full _ , almost too aroused to handle Ezra's mouth on your cunt but you were positive if he stopped licking at you, you would die. Heat felt like it was sloshing in your belly, there was so  _ much _ of it...

Ezra placed a series of delicate kisses on your clit, each one lighter than the last. His hands, still secure in their binders, clutched your right thigh for purchase when he pulled back to gulp air. His expression was dazed, eyes managing to focus on the armored man that loomed over you after several long seconds. "Will you not  _ indulge _ , Steerforth?" He sounded like he was almost  _ begging _ Mando, voicing what you couldn't bring yourself to say. "They ask for you, how can you sit there so  _ damned _ impassive?"

Your breath caught in your throat when you heard Mando exhale raggedly, the bounty hunter muttering, "M' not  _ impassive _ . There's nothing I-"

" _ Touch _ them, for  _ fuck's _ sake!" Ezra cried, pointedly rattling his cuffs. "I cannot do both. We must work together!"

The Mandalorian lurched suddenly up onto his knees, then sprawled  _ over _ your body, slamming one hand down to support his weight before wrapping his fingers in the neck of Ezra's tattered thermal shirt. "You don't call the shots here,  _ quarry _ ." He snarled in  _ That Voice _ , the one that he reserved for his bounties.

Your hands crept up to his hips, hyper aware of the sweet taste in your mouth and how  _ good _ this would feel. 

…

Ezra stared at the pitch-black visor inches from his nose. Felt the strength in the gloved hand that threatened to do  _ much _ more than stretch his shirt.

The prospector took a mental inventory of his body at this juncture, a bit surprised and entertained to find that he was  _ thoroughly _ invested in this new direction the encounter had taken. Mando was no doubt glaring at him from the safety of that  _ impregnable _ helm, the other man's hackles obviously raised by the jab from the prospector.

It mattered very little at this point in time, however, as Ezra heard a zipper fly open. Mando flinched so hard Ezra  _ felt _ it in his back, and the  _ sound _ you made was enough to get the devil to start sweating. "Seems that you may be outnumbered, Steerforth."

"Target rich-- _ environment- _ " The armored man snarled. "Senaar, y-your-- _ mouth _ , fuck-"

He stuttered. He  _ stuttered _ . Ezra latched onto that weakness with a filthy grin, easily twisting out of the other man's grip to duck his head back down and taste you. Mando's other hand hit the blanket as you undulated your hips up to meet Ezra's mouth. Ezra could only  _ imagine _ the noises you were making around the other man's cock. He knew you were making them by the way Mando's arms quivered. And wasn't  _ that _ a sight, a man in full armor rendered helpless by the power of a warm, eager mouth on his cock. 

"Watch me now, Steerforth." Ezra crooned, tilting his face up to make presumed eye contact. " _ This _ is how you make them weep with pleasure." He was sure that his chin was dripping pink at this point and he  _ knew _ , even without seeing the other man's face, that Mando was barely hanging on. He had to salute the armored man's dedication. A less devout individual would have given out before they made it to the floor.

The Medusine barrier that the Serpentia formed was slowly weakening under the gentle assault of his mouth, Ezra was pleased to notice. Of course, he wasn't exactly  _ rushing _ , simply going at a steady pace to keep your pain to a bare minimum. You had begun to leak around the barrier, your arousal even warmer than he had expected. Ezra couldn't tell whether it was because he was under the effects of the pollen or whether it was reality that you tasted  _ immaculate _ , but he reasoned that it didn't particularly matter. 

He was hungry enough to cope with either happenstance. 

"Little bird, fuck my face, won't you?" He requested sweetly, chuckling at your enthusiastic response. "Grind yourself to completion on my tongue, break the barrier so that your associate can sheathe himself  _ balls deep _ in this delectable pussy and give you respite." 

...

" _ Fuck _ ." Din rasped, his eyes wide behind the visor of his helmet. The way that Ezra spoke was like fucking  _ music _ , the man wrapping filthy words in flowery, incomprehensible syntax. 

The Mandalorian's fingers tangled resolutely in the blanket, the armored man panting as you urged his aching dick even further down your throat. Your hands grappled with his thighs, shoving them wider and then taking two hungry handfuls of his rear to  _ encourage _ him.

"Senaar-" he started to warn you off, but stopped dead when you moaned  _ around _ him.  _ Stars _ , he wondered how you could even  _ breathe-- _

You pulled back, coughing and gasping. "You're doing so well, little bird." Ezra murmured from between your legs. Your only reply was to take Din's cock back into your mouth and  _ oh fuck you weren't stopping- _

Your hand found Djarin's in the blankets and you tugged on it, forcing him to try and figure out how to redistribute his weight so you could have the appendage. He managed it of course, he was a fucking  _ Mandalorian _ after all, but there was a moment where he nearly lost his balance.

You guided his hand to your neck and Din couldn't fight back the groan he let out when he felt his cock bulging  _ through _ your throat.  _ Fuck _ , no one had ever been able to take this much of him into their mouth before, halfway was usually the stopping point. 

Djarin grunted and tilted his head down to watch you struggle, finally wrapping a hand around his cock and easing it back out of your mouth. Strands of saliva connected the engorged head of his dick to your lips. Din sighed  _ stupidly _ at the sight, fisting his dick and coating his glove with your spit. "You're  _ good _ at this, Senaar." He said gruffly, knowing that it wasn't  _ really _ praise, not like how Ezra said it. But words had never been his forte. 

"Keep speaking to them Steerforth, they leak at every word out of your mouth." Ezra encouraged from between your legs. "That's right little bird, just a bit more…"

Din was startled, to say the least. You liked when  _ he _ talked? "I…" he hesitated, then his brow furrowed. "Can't wait to fuck you, Senaar." You whimpered, your hips shuddering. "Fuck you until you don't remember your own  _ fucking _ name." Din growled. "Breed you like a good Mando should, pump you full of my come just like my Creed-siblings did, right?"

You nodded against his thigh, your sweat seeping through his flight suit to meet his own liberal perspiration. He was so  _ hot _ , his armor had never been this hot--

"Kevva,  _ that's _ a kink I didn't anticipate." Ezra panted, pink slick smeared all over his nose and chin. "They  _ certainly _ like it though, if I understand correctly."

Din could  _ smell _ you, smell the sweet scent of that fruit mixed with your own arousal. His fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of Ezra's neck and he nearly headbutted him on reflex, barely reining the power back in time. Ezra seemed confused at first, the other man obviously dazed with heat and just sort of  _ allowing _ Djarin to shove his face against his helmet. 

…

The helm was so cool, Ezra couldn't restrain a relieved sigh when he made contact. Mando appeared to be rubbing your essence all over his helmet, utilizing Ezra's face as a paintbrush. Unorthodox, but effective.

" _ Oh _ ," Ezra realized, "you've got some sort of olfactory sensors in there, don't you. You lewd creature you!" He teased breathlessly. "If you think they  _ smell _ sumptuous, I regret to inform you that their taste utterly puts that to shame." Words were heavy in his mouth, the prospector having to work harder and harder to put sentences together. It wouldn't be long before his senses wholly abandoned him, he was certain. "Release me, Steerforth, I must…I must carry out my end of the bargain." He groaned, struggling free. "We are almost at their climax."

Mando was nearly  _ vibrating _ with anticipation, gloved fingers clawing at Ezra's hair. "Careful," was all the armored man said hoarsely. 

Ezra nodded, once again touched by the bounty hunter's surprising display of consideration for his partner. "When the barrier breaks, they will need your cock  _ immediately _ , Steerforth. I will...not be coherent for much longer." He mumbled against your cunt, giving up on speech after Mando nodded.

With one last sweep of his tongue, the barrier dissolved. You sobbed out, your voice breaking as you writhed beneath your large companion and bucked your hips up against Ezra's eager mouth. Slick fairly  _ poured _ out of you, leaking down your thighs and soaking the blanket beneath you. 

Ezra didn't remember wriggling his bound hands beneath your rear, simply returning to his senses with your legs over his shoulders and his lungs burning for air but you  _ tasted so good _ , he felt  _ raw _ with hunger. 

Mando's gloved hand covered nearly the entirety of his face, easing him back from his feast. Ezra watched the other man's chest heave in a daze until he suddenly remembered what he was doing. "I apologize, I...I am too far gone." He murmured in contrition, lowering your hips back to the floor. 

"Ask nicely to fuck their mouth." Mando ordered, his blunt words digging into Ezra's groin. "You said it hurt you last time because you were alone. You helped them not to hurt. If they don't want to let you to fuck their mouth though, I'll…" he hesitated, "I'll figure something else out. Nobody has to hurt."

"'Something else'?" Ezra repeated, stunned. What on earth could this armored man  _ possibly _ be offering? Those gloves  _ were _ remarkably soft, the leather worn smooth from a lifetime of use, no doubt- " _ Oh _ ."

…

The pain had eased, only to be replaced by a searing emptiness. You squirmed beneath Mando, tangentially aware that he was engaged in a discussion with Ezra. Your hand flew to your pussy, the drenched area making an embarrassingly loud noise when you thrust two fingers into yourself in an effort to quell the ache. 

"Maker, please,  _ please _ , Mando!" you begged, barely aware of what you were saying. The  _ heat _ concentrated in your pelvis was burning you alive, desperate tears pouring down your face.

Mando stood to his full height, towering over you, just  _ watching _ you quiver while you pleaded deliriously. He fairly  _ ambled _ around your body, moving until he stood between your spread legs. His boot shoved your ankle, opening you even further, exposing every inch of you and the mess that covered the blanket under you. " _ Senaar _ ." The low burr of modulation made you rock your hips up, whimpering and nodding when he stroked his cock like he was showing off.

Somewhere, deep in your soul, you prayed that he liked what he saw even without the strange pollen instigating. 

He knelt, gloved fingers curling beneath your chin to pull your eyes up from his thick,  _ perfect _ cock and the puddle of precome it was currently weeping onto your pubic mound. His touch sent flickering trails of electricity through your body, and you could barely focus on what he was asking.

"Ezra...mouth?" 

You nodded rapidly, making Mando bark out what could have been a laugh. He cupped your jaw again, and then his hand stroked your hair in a way that was almost  _ tender _ . 

"I'll make you feel better." He promised. Ezra was a  _ mess _ , he looked like you felt. The quarry simply let Mando shove him down onto his knees, his eyes half-lidded. "Undo your suit." Mando ordered and Ezra shakily attempted to obey. He was having a difficult time with his hands still in the binders so you reached out, batting his hands away impatiently to unzip the lower portion of his exosuit.

His thermal leggings were threadbare like his shirt, the waffle-weave fabric soaked through. His cock visibly twitched when you exhaled sharply. "Do  _ not _ tease me, little bird, I feel as if I am on death's doorstep." The man pleaded through his teeth, "I am raw and agony gnaws at my skin;  _ please _ take me in your mouth." 

"I have to get your pants off." You tried to explain, fumbling with the article of clothing. The noise of despair he made had you frantically clawing at the pants, finally dragging them down low enough that his cock was freed. It slapped against his belly and he moaned, bound hands digging helplessly into your hair. 

"May I please have your mouth?" He requested raggedly. "I will not take it if you do not give it freely but  _ please _ , little bird." 

After he had worked so hard to get you to come? You were nodding hurriedly before he finished speaking, and his deep, drawn-out groan of relief was like music to your ears when you swallowed him down. 

…

You were radiating warmth, your hips twitching and shifting restlessly even as you tried to get Ezra's dick out of his suit. Din had to hand it to the other man, he  _ did _ ask nicely. 

But there were much more pressing matters to attend to. Mainly, your neglected cunt that was currently  _ leaking _ all over the underside of his cock. Djarin took a steadying breath, and then slowly sank himself into your waiting heat.

Your cry of relief was fucking  _ primal _ , a hungry, feral snarl that slithered hot and seething in his stomach under the beskar plate. Din was wholly, entirely lost, finding himself mentally shattered at the first stroke into your body. Your thighs trembled on either side of his hips and then your legs fell open, like you didn't have the strength to hold them up. 

Shit, he knew he should  _ say _ something, he knew he should be reluctant about this, but it was like every cell of his body needed you to fucking  _ survive _ . 

Maybe he always had. 

Din bared his teeth and growled back at you, his attention divided between watching you eagerly suck Ezra's cock and watching the way his own dick split you open. His passage was eased by the strange pink fluid that continued to ooze out of you,  _ stars _ it was so  _ hot- _

Ezra's fingers tangled in your hair after a moment, the prospector cradling your head to his groin in a manner that could have almost been described as  _ gentle _ .

"Is this how my Creed-siblings f- _ ucked _ you, Senaar?" Din's voice grated in his chest, the armored man barely aware of the heated words tumbling out of his mouth. "Filling you, claiming you,  _ fucking _ your throat and pussy?"

" _ Kevva _ ." Ezra breathed. "Your peculiar voice working in tandem with your cock appears to be the thing that turns them into a voracious  _ harlot _ . I do not know if I have ever-" His sentence broke momentarily, " _ oh _ ,  _ fuck _ , very well little bird, take the whole of it then." He grunted, raking his fingers through your hair as you deepthroated him. "You are absolutely  _ magnificent _ at that, you know." The other man praised shakily. 

Your cunt fluttered around Djarin's cock and he felt your arousal soak through his suit, hot fluid sliding down to coat his balls. " _ Stars _ , did you just come?" He groaned, unable to stop the filthy noise he made when you whined around Ezra's dick and nodded as best as you could. His fingers gripped your thigh, digging into the skin as he began to  _ rut _ against you. The Mandalorian threw his head back, panting, "Feel so fucking-- _ good _ around me,  _ fuck _ , Senaar, so  _ good _ -"

…

You felt like you were falling apart again and again. The  _ taste _ , the sensations, the curling knot of heat in your belly that released inch by inch. Mando's hand on your thigh and Ezra's grip on your head were the things that allowed you to hold on to your sanity, but only just.

Mando was conquering you utterly, his dick driving into you with enough force that you knew you would be aching later, but in the moment you never wanted him to stop. You had craved him, wished for him for so long, to finally  _ have _ him was total bliss. 

And Ezra, Ezra, his silky voice caressing your body as his bound hands carded through your hair. His cock choked you again and again and every time you had to pull back off of him for breath he  _ praised _ you, talked about how good you were, how no one had ever taken him as deep as you…

You were in heaven. 

Ezra abruptly retreated, his cock smearing more precome across your lips. "If you continue on in this manner I will be  _ undone _ , little bird." He muttered. "Your one-sided assault, while inescapably  _ delicious _ , is rendering me wholly base. You wish for me to spill my seed on your face?" His hips twitched. "Or shall I fuck my come down your throat, request that you swallow every drop?" 

"Fuck it into them." Mando rasped before you could say anything in reply, a gloved hand grabbing your chin. "Fuck your load i-into that  _ sweet _ little mouth of theirs. Give them what they fucking  _ need _ , quarry." He demanded, and you nearly came again from how  _ unhinged _ he sounded. 

"Well, little bird?" Ezra asked softly, his eyes dark with want. "Shall I take my pleasure from your lewd little mouth and let your beautiful throat milk me dry?"

" _ Please! _ " You begged, opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue to encourage him. 

Ezra sighed blissfully at the sight, lacing his fingers through your hair and encouraging you to take his cock until your nose rested against his groin. " _ Fuc-king _ gods, you are positively  _ celestial _ ." He groaned, "Relegating yourself to a singular partner would be doing you a disservice, little bird. I highly encourage you to weaponize your talents in whatever field you wish."

Come flooded your mouth, his cock twitching heavily against your tongue. Your eyes rolled back, your lungs burning for air and you dimly heard Mando  _ snarl _ , dropping his helm to rest on your sternum. The metal was blessedly cool even through your tunic, helping to anchor you to reality. 

"Fucking  _ touch _ me, please." Mando's voice shook even with the modulator, his words  _ buzzing _ through your body. "Senaar  _ please _ , fuck, pl- _ please _ , touch me, fucking--"

Your palms crashed into his shoulders, hips bucking upwards to meet his next thrust and you came again. Mando made a noise that you could only liken to a  _ roar _ , the armored man grappling at your hips and grinding himself against your dripping cunt. 

"Senaar, Senaar,  _ Senaar-- _ " The name he had given you punctuated every thrust, his rasping tone making your belly drop out. You weren't sure if you would ever  _ stop _ coming, grasping blindly at Mando and Ezra while your cunt gripped down on Mando's cock.

…

If Ezra still had any doubts about being a  _ blatant _ proxy for the armored man, that was obliterated in his post-orgasm daze. 

A gloved hand slid to the back of his neck and tugged him down to your mouth. Ezra went clumsily but willingly, the prospector humming when he tasted himself and the cloying sweetness of the Serpentia on your tongue. You sobbed against his lips and Ezra soothed you with his mouth, accepting all of your hungry whimpers and whines as he stroked your hair back off your forehead. 

"Little bird, little bird, you will want for nothing with this individual  _ pummeling _ you so mercilessly." He breathed, relishing the soft cry that quivered against the skin of his neck. "I imagine you can feel every  _ inch _ of that prodigious girth, burning like unquenchable quicksilver, threatening to breach your very  _ womb _ ." He moved his bound hands down, resting them on your stomach. "Steerforth, I  _ trust _ you are punishin' their cervix with every thrust?" He queried, chuckling darkly when Mando just snarled in reply.

You threw your head back, hands fisted in the fabric between Mando's pauldrons and gorget. "Mando-!" You pleaded, " _ fuck! _ " 

Mando's hands dug beneath the small of your back and he canted your hips upwards, sheathing his cock in the cradle of your body over and over. Ezra envied the armored man's  _ stamina _ , grunting when he felt his member trying to rise again. Whether he could blame the pollen for  _ that _ , he was unsure, but the lovely company certainly did nothing to dissuade his arousal. Watching this large, almost  _ knightly _ figure  _ rail _ into you, your face still a mess of tears from when Ezra had fucked your mouth…

_ Kevva _ , he could not recall a time where he had been so content to simply play voyeur, pressing the occasional kiss to your lips at Mando's behest. "Such tenderness, what a dichotomous sensation for you," the prospector mused, "the contrast between armor and flesh." His mouth brushed against your ear when he continued, "However, I believe you're beginning to realize that there is an untapped  _ wellspring _ of man beneath all that metal, am I correct little bird?"

...

You squeezed your eyes shut and Din's hand reached up, the bounty hunter unable to keep from cradling your cheek. "I always knew." You said, your voice barely audible. "I-I always...I always-"

"Be quiet." Din grunted. "Y-You...don't have to say it." His heart slamming in his chest had nothing to do with his current exertion.  _ You knew _ . Shame reached him dimly through the haze of arousal. All the times he ached to touch you, all the times he battled with himself over his desire for contact…

Your hand gripped the back of his helmet and he flinched sharply. He hadn't noticed you move and you could pull his helmet  _ off _ ,  _ shit _ , he was so stupid for doing this! His eyes flew to yours, even though he knew you couldn't see through his visor.

After a moment of him fighting back his panic, you just shook your head. "S-Sealed unit, ri-ght?" You asked, your words hitching with his thrusts. Djarin nodded warily. Your eyes half-lidded and you knocked your forehead into his helmet, the gesture unmistakable to a Mandalorian.

_ A kiss _ . 

Was his heart  _ breaking _ , or just fucking  _ giving out _ under the assault of this insane pollen? Was he overloaded? Was this all just some wild hallucination?

Din frantically shoved his helmet against your face, pinning your head back to the pillow.  _ Shit _ , he needed to be  _ careful _ , you didn't have  _ armor _ . "Senaar, I--" Basic had always been so damn  _ heavy _ on his tongue. Mando'a  _ flowed _ , but it was secret.  _ Sacred _ . Djarin hesitated and you reached up again, cradling the indents on his helmet.

"Always. Even with this." You whispered. 

His brain had short-circuited. The roaring in his ears was deafening and he knew he was making  _ some _ kind of ugly, wounded noise, but he couldn't actually  _ do _ anything about it. 

_ Always _ .  _ Always _ . 

His heart must have blown, he reasoned desperately. That was the only explanation for what he was feeling right now.

…

The sound that Mando made after you assured him was heartwrenching, a guttural sob that seemed like a mixture of agony and ecstasy. He clawed at the blanket beneath you, gasping for breath as he all but broke you in half, his dick ripping yet  _ another _ orgasm from your hungry cunt. 

You were lightheaded from his prolonged fucking, your pussy in spasm around his thick cock, but you refused to give out yet. "Did you feel me come, Mando?" You whimpered against the side of his helmet, wringing more feral noises out of him. "Is it good?"

" _ Fuck _ , incredible, s-so--" Mando gripped your thigh, hitching it up over his hip and then dragging his fingers hungrily through the pink slick that had pooled in the crease of your hip. "Never want to  _ leave _ , fuck, m'sorry, I know I'm t-taking-- _ forever _ -" 

"Only a fool apologizes for his length in the bedroom." Ezra remarked dryly, dipping down to kiss you when you laughed. "How do you fare, little bird?"

"So good." You sighed, feeling half-drunk on your orgasm high. The knot in your belly had  _ finally _ gone slack, leaving you weak and trembling beneath Mando as he chased his own completion. You hummed and Ezra rumbled back, his touch remarkably careful when he cupped your chin. 

"You have done so  _ well _ ." Ezra murmured. "Serpentia is no simple storm to weather, yet you have endured." Mando wordlessly bumped his helmet against Ezra's temple, the metal rubbing over the blond tuft of hair the quarry sported. "You are  _ most _ welcome, Steerforth." Ezra chuckled. "One is glad to be of service, but please. You threatened to fill them, didn't you?"

Mando's hips faltered in their rhythm and the armored man  _ finally _ came with a shattered moan of relief.  _ Stars _ , you weren't sure if you had the Serpentia to blame for the sheer volume that he came; you could feel it frothing out of you  _ around _ his cock as he continued to shudder and writhe through his orgasm. 

"Holy  _ shit _ , Mando." You said incredulously, unable to fight back the urge to slip a hand down between your bodies. "You told me Mandalorians were rare."

"We--are." Mando panted raggedly, his cock still twitching inside you.

"If you come like this,  _ how? _ " You asked, your combined fluids  _ soaking _ your questing fingers. Mando just  _ stared _ at you for a moment, shoulders heaving while he struggled to catch his breath.

And then he started  _ laughing _ , which was...not nearly as terrifying as you had expected, honestly. " _ Stars _ , you--" He wheezed, his helm thudding gently against your forehead. " _ Fuck _ you, Senaar." You could  _ hear _ him grinning, his voice still warm with laughter. 

"Odd method of displaying affection. I take it your Creed is of a fraternitous bent?" Ezra commented, a quiet noise of surprise escaping him when you tugged him down for a kiss.

"Thank you." You mumbled drowsily into his mouth. 

"Hardly. I ought to thank  _ you _ . When last I endured the Serpent's grasp, I was incarcerated and driven to gratify myself to ribbons on the inside of my gear." Ezra informed you, his tone nonchalant. "This experience was a rare moment of hedonistic bliss in my life. Believe me when I say I shall cherish it."

He straightened up before you could say anything in reply, extending his bound wrists to Mando.

"Whither to, my recalcitrant steerforth?"

Mando ignored him for another moment, stroking your forehead tenderly. He appeared to have noticed your weariness, because he sounded softer when he spoke. "Sleep, Senaar. It's over."

…

"I'll cut you loose on Sorgan." 

Ezra swiveled in the co-pilot chair, knowing that his expression must border on the befuddled. When the armored man had left you to sleep, hauled Ezra into the cockpit and secured his binders to the chair, the prospector had assumed that whatever agreement they struck previously was rendered null and void. "I would be... _ wholeheartedly _ grateful to you, Steerforth." He breathed.

"I never found you. Your pod malfunctioned and you burned alive in the atmosphere." Mando instructed him in that level, modulated voice. "Stop stealing shit and I won't have to hunt you down again."

"Those men stole from  _ me! _ " Ezra retorted hotly, knocking his elbow down into the white case that hung off his hip. "I worked alone for stands and they came along right at the most opportune juncture, put a thrower to my head and  _ robbed _ me! I simply reclaimed-"

Mando waved a hand, interrupting his self-righteous tirade. "You and I both know that it doesn't matter. I'm forfeiting the credits this time, but next time…" he trailed off pointedly. "Don't get caught again. If someone else from my Guild chapter picks up your bounty, Mandalorian  _ or _ otherwise, they  _ will _ catch you." 

Mando leaned in close, his elbows resting on his knees and helmet propped up on his folded hands. Ezra felt for all the world like a specimen underneath a microscope, barely suppressing the urge to squirm nervously. 

"The bounty specified that you be captured warm." The armored man said after a beat. "No promise of half-payment upon cold delivery or even proof of demise. So whoever you got into a pissing match with wants to be the one to put that last slug into your brain. You already heard my advice. For your own good, I suggest you lay low and  _ be fucking quiet _ ." He gestured out the cockpit viewport at the green sphere that hovered in the distance. "There's good people on that planet. Good people that I care about. If you bring hunters to their doorstep, I will find out. And then I will find you."

Kevva have mercy, this man was no joke. Ezra was having a difficult time just mustering up the breath to give him an affirmation! Was this  _ truly _ the same Lancelot he had watched engage in lotus-eating debauchery with his Guinevere not two hours hence? Ezra's belly roiled uncertainly, arousal and fear a potent combination. This must be how the bounty hunter indulged himself without divesting his plate, the prospector reasoned dimly.  _ Fear _ was a remarkably stimulating thing. "Of course." He finally answered, his voice a little reedy. "Your mercy is...unexpectedly generous, but no less appreciated for its spontaneity."

Mando grunted, seeming satisfied with his response. The armored man returned to the control panel after a moment, flipping a few switches. The entire  _ ship _ appeared to be miles above what Ezra was used to. Even the Testin had a dog-eared manual that hung from a chain by the central dash, and the craft was such a rattling nightmare that she needed three bodies just to keep her straight. But this man, this... _ Mandalorian _ , he operated the whole blasted vessel with a fluid ease. 

His next words were so quiet Ezra nearly missed them. "Thank you."

"Pardon?" Ezra queried blankly.

Mando heaved a sigh that made his pauldrons visibly dip. "I said,  _ thank you _ ." He growled awkwardly. "I don't know what...I don't know if I would have hurt them because of--because of how I am." 

"It will do no good to ruminate on such dour subjects." Ezra hesitated, then continued, "but your Creed...would you have broken it for them, had you known about the requirements of the Medusine barrier?"

"I…" Mando tightened his hold on the directionals, those gloves creaking with his tension. "I'm not sure." He admitted, lapsing into silence afterwards.

"Your ship is marvelously responsive." Ezra murmured by way of changing the subject. "It reminds me of a diminutive Screamer-class that I endured a few stands on, oh, nearly fifteen cycles ago-"

"Be  _ quiet _ ."

…

Din watched Ezra until he vanished between the large trunks of Sorgan's conifers, the Mandalorian then dropping back into the pilot's seat with a groan.  _ Maker _ , he hoped he was doing the right thing. Hoped he hadn't just unleashed some mass-murdering psychopath on the unsuspecting populace.

Djarin tilted his helmet back against the headrest of the seat, aimlessly staring up at the fuselage. 

_ What the hell was he going to say when you woke up? _

Din's heart sank. He knew that he couldn't believe anything that had come out of your mouth while you had been under the effects of that fruit.  _ Serpent's Tongue _ . He chewed his lower lip meditatively. 

He could lie. 

He fucking  _ cringed _ at the thought, then shook his head at himself. You would be embarrassed at  _ best _ , but at worst…

Shit, he didn't want to  _ lose _ you, even if you didn't feel the same way about him. And then there was the kid to worry about. No, a lie would be better. 

_ You had sought out other Mandos _ . His stomach lurched as he recalled  _ that _ little fact. Fuck,  _ fuck _ , was it  _ hope _ that beat so insistently in his throat?

_ A sealed unit _ , he had said.

He just wouldn't bring it up. He was the one who had insisted that this whole maneuver was struck from the proverbial records in the first place, right? He just wouldn't mention it. Easy enough. If  _ you _ said something, that was fine, but otherwise…

Din nodded firmly.  _ This is the Way _ .


	2. Second Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's this?! So I had planned on Of Gorgons And Gardens to be a one-shot. And then plot reared its ugly head. Huh. I realize that after the sex pollen this chapter will come off as remarkably dry and for that, I apologize. I hope you can forgive me, you noble soul you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains drugging, semi-graphic depictions of torture, bile/vomiting and gratuitous pain kink. Stay safe!]

Din's hindsight right now was fucking  _ impeccable _ . 

He had blundered into so many different situations and encountered so many different targets over his years of bounty hunting that he may have possibly developed a slight... _ slight _ amount of overconfidence. It was at least  _ warranted _ . When he was on the job it was incredibly difficult to catch him unawares, and even if a target  _ did _ manage it, Din was never off-balance for too long. The bounty hunter had fought out of four-on-one scraps, survived a whole  _ town _ worth of other hunters chasing after him, overcome insurmountable odds and conditions…

He should have brought you. Oh  _ Maker _ , he should have brought you. He knew that the second he entered the mercenary's shitty base, knew that the moment he got a deep inhale of the air inside and his visor lit up with a warning for  _ six _ different airborne particulates.

But he pressed on. He was already in, it wasn't exactly like he could turn around and depart.

" _ I can bring you in warm _ …" he had begun his line, his hand on his blaster in his usual pose. 

The trashy, two-bit drug runner that was his prey, a  _ crumb _ of a human named Haast, had feigned like he would surrender. He waited for the Mandalorian to approach with the binders, and when Din had reached out to cuff his quarry Haast had slipped his gloved hands beneath the other man's wrists with a shit-eating grin. 

Din just.  _ Stood _ there. Stared at the quarry while his brain ran over the math to see whether the deduction for proof of demise versus full payment for live carbonite delivery was worth dismissing that  _ bold _ behavior.

And then something pricked the underside of his wrist through his glove. 

Din recoiled but Haast gripped down  _ tight _ , what felt like a thousand more needles stabbing into the Mandalorian's wrists.  _ A trap _ , he realized belatedly.  _ Haast had prepared _ . 

He should have brought you.

Djarin fought at first. Took out a few of the mercenaries after he managed to shake off Haast. The  _ door _ , he couldn't find the door. His vision had begun to blur, Din's swings going wider and wider. His blaster,  _ where _ was his--

Something struck the back of his helmet without warning, the impact slamming Din's head forward into a solid object. 

His awareness flickered in and out dimly. He vaguely remembered Haast talking, talking,  _ talking _ . There was the loud magnetic  _ click! _ of binders on his wrists, pain flashing hot for a second as more needles crushed down through his gloves into his skin.

" _ Alright, get out. He's mine now _ ."

Someone's hands were digging greedily beneath his chin. Din jerked back to consciousness, alarmed as he lurched forward and rammed his helmet into the head of whoever was trying to unmask him. He was restrained, seated, they must have put something over his head--

The thermal imaging jittered to life, revealing a silhouette through whatever they had covered his helmet's visor with.  _ Haast _ . Din struggled and another slosh of the drug he had been spiced with the first time spurted out around the needles in his wrists in response to his motions. 

His eyes were so heavy. 

The helmet was torn off his head and he knew he should be fighting back, he  _ knew _ he should, but...

He had no idea of how long he was alone for or when he had been blindfolded and gagged, only rousing himself after he realized that someone had entered the room. 

Din stiffened at the sound of their footsteps, barely able to fight the way his breathing wanted to quicken. Everything was so  _ loud _ without his helmet. His teeth sank into the cloth he had been gagged with, bearing down as he braced instinctively. 

"Funny, I always figured that you Mandos were droids under all this shit." Din twitched towards the voice, glaring to no avail behind the blindfold. A blaster barrel prodded the back of his throbbing head. "But you bleed like anyone else." 

The Mandalorian swallowed hard, nausea surging in his throat. Whatever was on the cloth they had stuffed in his mouth was  _ revolting _ ; it reeked like grease and stale sweat. His head getting busted open in the scuffle wasn't exactly  _ helping _ matters, that and whatever they had hosed him down with. He strained against the binders more on principle than out of any real hope he would wriggle free. 

"Struggle all you want, Mando. Doesn't mean shit." Haast seemed  _ incredibly _ pleased with himself. "Now I know what you look like. Which means one way or another, there's gonna' be one less Mando out there." He spat, "good riddance."

Din snarled around the gag, his hands clenching into fists behind his back. Even in his half-coherent state, he understood what Haast was implying. 

…

"Eeny," You ticked your index back and forth, "meeny. Miney. Mo." You pushed the switch you had landed on and grinned in delight when you heard the power of the adjacent building dip. The door beside you popped open from the built in failsafe mechanics and you slipped inside, the tracking fob on your waist blinking bright in the darkness.

" _ If I don't come back in three days, Senaar _ ," Mando had instructed you before departing the  _ Crest _ , pressing the tracker into your hand. " _ Bounty's yours. _ " He had then gestured upwards at the low ceiling. " _ Ship too _ . _ Go back to Nevarro and give the kid to the Covert _ ."

You had waved him off with a laugh; he went through this fatalistic routine  _ every time _ he went out on a solo hunt and the kid was on the ship. " _ You sure you don't want me to come with you, Mando? I'm pretty good in a fight _ ."

" _ Should be an in and out job. I don't anticipate any struggling. Haast is wanted for drug dealing, not assault and battery. He'll bitch, whine, and try to buy me off _ ."

That had been five days ago now. Five long,  _ boring _ days. The kid was inconsolable after the second, obviously feeding off of your slow-blooming anxiety, and you had finally caved. 

" _ Stop staring at me _ ." You had griped, avoiding those huge, sad eyes for the millionth time. " _ I'm  _ **_going_ ** _ , alright? I'm waiting for dark and then I'm going. Stop with the look _ ."

So here you were, running some kind of haphazard, solo rescue mission. It was hardly your first time doing so, but it  _ was _ your first time going in totally blind.

"Nice try, Mando." You huffed under your breath. "Like I would even  _ want _ your stupid, junky ship."  _ Never mind what the kid will do if you don't come back _ , you continued internally.

You managed to dodge several patrol groups by ducking off into empty corridors, your heart thundering in your chest with every close call. This was  _ dangerous _ , what if something happened to  _ you _ next? The kid would be all alone, defenseless.

You bit your lip anxiously, hesitating beside a doorway. Maybe you ought to return to the ship. Follow Mando's instructions and bring the little one to--

A hand abruptly covered your mouth from behind and you were dragged backwards.

…

_ The kid _ .

Din wasn't sure how long he had been unconscious for, but that thought had him shuddering awake.  _ The kid _ .

_ By Creed, until it is of age or reunited with its own kind, you are as its father. _

Unfamiliar emotion rasped at his throat; were those  _ tears? _ Din hung his head in shame, his shoulders tense with the effort of holding back the weeping he desperately wanted to indulge in. 

You would take care of the kid. He knew you would, he trusted you with him. But you hadn't signed up for the baggage that came with him. And if  _ Din _ had no idea where to start when searching for the kid's people…

Djarin struggled against his binds, grunting and panting. To no avail, nothing had loosened or slacked after he had passed out. He felt incredibly, almost  _ impossibly _ weak. He could barely even hold his own head up. His gloves and forearms were soaked with... _ something _ , he didn't recognize the smell through the rank taste in his mouth. 

Blood continued to slowly trickle down the bridge of his nose from the wound on his forehead. The hair on the back of his neck was matted with blood as well, pulling painfully at every motion he made. He couldn't recall how long he had been trapped, everything dissolving into a blur of waking up to assaults, fading in and out in a disorienting muddle of himself and Haast. 

He knew it was mostly the concussion to blame for this uncharacteristic bout of emotional weakness, though there wasn't much he could  _ do _ with that pertinent information. He thought about the kid just... _ waiting _ for him, and his throat threatened to close up.

Din lolled his head to the side when he heard the door open once more. He tried to swear around the gag, tried to straighten up in the chair. 

The prongs of a volter prod dug into his side and Djarin went rigid, electricity arcing through his core and making his body lock up. He couldn't even open his mouth, resorting to groaning pitifully through his teeth into the gag.

_ He plummeted off the sandcrawler, his back hitting the ground with a hollow thud. Vision grayed out. His  _ **_ship_ ** _ , everything was  _ **_gone_ ** _ , everything _ \--

Din sucked in a desperate breath,  _ no _ , that had happened before. He had rescued the kid, he  _ had _ . This was a momentary thing, his Foundling was still safe with you. He would get back to him. This couldn't go on forever, and he would  _ endure _ until Haast slipped up.

"I know I ought to kill you, otherwise you'll just do the job for me because I've seen your face." Haast chortled, meandering around Din as he writhed. "You Mandos take yourselves so damn seriously, with your  _ Creeds _ and your stupid armor and weapons. Makes me  _ sick _ ." 

Djarin felt a glob of spit strike his cheek and he managed to unstick his jaw enough to  _ scream _ with rage around the gag. The chair beneath him actually shifted slightly when he struggled this time, his fury giving him a burst of strength. He heard the bounty scramble backwards and Din jerked his head towards the sound of his motion, his breathing coming in harsh gasps. 

"I'll kill you." He slurred through the gag as the door to the room slid open behind him. He assumed it was the quarry leaving. "Helmet or no, I'll  _ fucking _ kill you."

But then, "How did--who the  _ fuck _ are  _ you?! _ " Haast asked shrilly. There was a single, muffled shot. 

That  _ wasn't _ an ordinary blaster, Din realized, it wasn't as loud. Didn't crackle right.  _ Who-? _

…

" _ Ezra?! _ " You gasped around the hand over your mouth. The man shushed you, furrowing his eyebrows sternly. After a moment, heavy footsteps thundered past your hiding place. Mando's bounty  _ apparently _ had friends. A whole gang's worth. 

"Little bird, while I find it  _ extremely _ delightful to happen across you once more in this lifetime, I regret to inform you that this is  _ not _ an environment that encourages the exchange of vacuous pleasantries." The man hissed, just as long-winded as you remembered. He looked a little more worn, gaunt, the shadows under his eyes decidedly pronounced. 

Your brain slowly ground to a halt. If Ezra was  _ real _ , then…then that meant that the dream you had...

It  _ hadn't _ just been some weird fever dream, oh  _ stars! _ You  _ had _ fucked Ezra and Mando! Or was it Ezra and Mando that had fucked you, technically? You wanted to curl up into a ball. "You...I thought I dreamed...did we…?" you whispered, trying and failing to properly articulate your question.

"We were under the effects of a strange plant when last we met. Whatever you recall occurring, it was due to the Serpentia." Ezra said curtly. "I take it you are in this wretched hive of scum and villainy for your partner?" 

You nodded at first, but then caught yourself. " _ No _ , I'm here for his bounty." You answered haughtily. 

Ezra's thick eyebrow hiked up to the blond patch at his temple. "Are you  _ certain _ about that? Surely there must be a simpler way for you to get to the target." He mused, obviously not buying your explanation. "Now, I've only been involved with this crew for a stand or two, but I saw them tote in a Mandalorian three days ago. I am uncertain if it was Steerforth due to the armor, you understand. However, Haast has been boasting to anyone who will listen about how he alone unmasked the man, and now with you here, my suspicions are all but confirmed."

Your stomach dropped out.  _ Unmasked _ . "Mando has never let anyone take off his helmet," you protested weakly. "He  _ can't _ , it's not allowed." 

"Yes, I recall. The  _ Creed _ ." Ezra remarked in a dry tone. "Praise be to the Creed, really. It's the only reason I got to indulge in your exquisite taste and the velvet touch of your mouth when last we spoke."

You snorted out a surprised laugh, his blunt language perfectly recapping what you remembered occuring.

"I suppose I should be flattered that you thought it was a dream, that I was a mere fantasy conjured up by your lusty imagination." Ezra sighed. "It  _ is _ a pleasant memory for you, correct?" He queried, sounding worried now. "I sincerely apologize if you found the experience traumatic or one that you wished to forget."

"What,  _ no _ , I'm more embarrassed that I told Mando I boned two of his Creed siblings! Oh my gods, and he didn't say  _ anything _ the morning after we...and you were  _ gone _ , I thought it was just a really vivid hallucination. I'm going to  _ kill him _ ." You sputtered furiously. "Mando, you  _ fuck _ ."

"Is it not in his nature to be rather...taciturn?" Ezra asked delicately, taking your hand and glancing both ways before darting out into the main corridor. "Perhaps he didn't know how to broach the subject."

"Well,  _ maybe _ , but still!" You complained, your eyes drawn to the fluttering right sleeve of his suit.  _ His arm is gone _ , you realized with a start, your brow furrowing. He had only been  _ wounded _ when you saw him last; what could have happened? An infection? "He could  _ broach _ the subject however he--he could  _ trust _ me, for fuck's sake." You carried on belatedly, not wanting to reveal that you had been staring. "I let him put his  _ penis _ in me, I kind of feel like that ought to count for something in the trust exchange department!"

"And  _ what _ an exchange it was, little bird. I was quite envious of you." Ezra shot you a sideways grin. "Have the two of you done anything since?"

"No, I guess he...he didn't want to again? Maybe he felt like he broke the Creed or something, or maybe he only fucked me because of the plant." You shrugged, attempting for an unaffected tone. "It's been my experience that Mandalorians aren't  _ celibate _ or anything like that, but I don't know how many other Death Watch Mandos I've gotten horizontal with. Maybe his rules are different."

"Little bird, if I didn't know any better I'd say you had a fetish."

"I wonder if I pissed him off with that Mando kiss, the head-tap." You continued, studiously ignoring that fetish comment.

"I  _ sincerely _ doubt it, but I cannot speak for the man." Ezra paused outside a sliding door, putting his ear to the wall. "Ah, and here we have it." He murmured. "Haast is in there, at any rate, and from the sound of all that pontificating I'd wager Steerforth is alive and kicking as well." He gestured you towards the wall, waiting until you pressed your back to the surface. "Remain inconspicuous. I'll only have one shot at Haast once I open this door."

...

"Who  _ I _ am is none of your concern, you belligerent wastrel. Certainly was of no interest to you when your secondary took me onto your payroll." Ezra grinned mirthlessly, one boot planted on Haast's shoulder keeping him firmly pinned to the ground while the man wailed and sobbed. "I'm afraid running with this crew has become more trouble than it's worth."

Within arm's reach was the table where Haast had redistributed all of the bounty hunter's accoutrements. Weapons, binders, and one of those  _ very _ familiar helmets. Ezra holstered his thrower and picked up the binders, a wave of deja vu catching him. It seemed like another lifetime where he had been bound by (presumably) these very same binders and encouraged to perform oral favors for the partner of the Mandalorian. 

He shook his head after a moment, cuffing the miserable scum on the floor.  _ Business before pleasure _ . Ezra crouched down. "The code for this hunter's binders, if you don't mind." He requested cordially, one finger stroking beneath the bastard's chin. "Lest I grow impatient and  _ relieve _ you of your pitiful existence. Don't forget that it was your own fool pride that got you into this mess, friend."

"What the  _ fuck _ , are you guys twins or something?" Haast asked, confusion evident on his face. 

Ezra grinned without humor, all teeth. "That didn't  _ sound _ like a combination to me,  _ friend _ ." His thrower primed again, whirring softly. "Last chance."

Haast flinched, looking as dejected as someone could while still panicking about the thrower hole that had been blown in their thigh. He quickly gave up the code and Ezra patted his cheek calmly with the thrower's barrel.

The prospector moved behind the Mandalorian, working quickly to punch in the code and strip the grimy binders off the man's wrists. There were  _ needles _ on the insides of the binders, which gave him momentary pause as he gingerly held them between his thumb and forefinger. Well, if  _ that _ wasn't a clear indication of how low Haast was willing to stoop...

Ezra had seen a few more Mandos in his travels after encountering you and your stoic partner, and while he wasn't one hundred percent  _ certain _ that this was the same one he had engaged with under the duress of Serpentia, he had a gut feeling. That and he felt like he recognized the insignia on the bounty hunter's pauldron. "Steerforth, it has been quite a few turns since last we spoke." He remarked, studying the rope around the other man's forearms.

The man in the chair stiffened, turning his head sharply to the side as though he was searching for the sound of Ezra's voice. 

"Face forward, Steerforth. I'm not interested in breaking that blasted Creed of yours." Ezra fought to untie the cruelly-knotted rope, grumbling in irritation when it proved too tight.

" _ Fuck _ their Creed!" Haast spat angrily, flopping over onto his back and glaring up at the duo. "All you stupid Mandos with your  _ stupid _ superiority complexes, you can all get  _ spaced _ . Take all the decent-payin' bounty jobs and  _ why _ , because you've got some special armor and fancy weapons?"

Ezra watched as the Mando in the chair (possibly Steerforth, though as yet unconfirmed) clenched his fists so tightly behind his back that the rope around his forearms whined and shed droplets of moisture in protest. Whatever Haast had dosed him with, it  _ clearly _ wasn't strong enough or it had worn off to the point where it was no longer able to keep him docile. Ezra suspected that even if he hadn't happened across you engaging in your daring rescue mission, Haast wouldn't have had much longer to revel in having this particular Mandalorian under his thumb.

"Hold still." Ezra instructed, ignoring Haast for the moment as he slipped the guard of his knife between the hemp and the other man's armor before activating the blade. The laser flickered silently to life, just the barest pulse, and the ropes parted like wet tissue. 

The Mandalorian's hands flew up, ripping the gag out of his mouth and flinging it across the room while he retched violently loud. He started struggling to get the blindfold off, his motions clumsy and frantic. Ezra took a healthy step back once the armored man managed to remove the blindfold. He wasn't particularly concerned about the Mandalorian attacking him or anything to that effect, but he knew that the lack of helmet would be cause for distress. 

"Ezra?" The Mandalorian rasped after a moment, sounding bewildered. He still hadn't turned around, appearing to be staring down at the bound floater on the ground.

"It is indeed I, my recalcitrant Steerforth. I see life has been far more kind to you than it was to me." Ezra replied evenly, watching as Mando scooped up his blaster from the table. 

The wriggling, pitifully whining Haast went dead silent when Mando's shaking fingers gripped the heavy weapon. "You drugged me, tied me down and broke my oath to the Creed by force." The bounty hunter listed off the man's transgressions in a voice that trembled low with rage. "Luckily for me, I still get paid for proof of death." The blaster slid beneath the man's chin and Ezra was a little ashamed of the flutter of arousal he felt. "So  _ look _ at my face. Get your fill." Mando snarled. "It's the last thing you'll see, you  _ waste _ of air."

The blaster only barked once, but it was  _ deafening _ .

Mando's breathing was labored, and he grappled the table when he tried to stand to his full height once more. Ezra averted his eyes. "Put your helmet on, Steerforth. Our time grows short; someone will have heard that shot." He urged. 

"Can't put it back on." Mando groaned. "Forbidden." His vibroblade whined to life, no doubt to harvest an identifier to deliver to the bounty issuee. But the noise made Ezra flinch in recollection, the stump of his arm aching.

The prospector took a deep breath in, trying to steel himself and dismiss the horrific memory. "We do not have  _ time _ to debate this, Steerforth." He snapped. "The only man who has seen your face is currently lying in a pool of his own blood. We will have a much more adequate chance at removing you from this situation if you are fully armored."

He heard the rustle of motion and then a low grunt of pain. Metal hit his temple after a moment. "What happened to your arm?" Mando asked thickly, that unreadable visor inches from his face while a gloved hand grasped at the empty right sleeve of his suit. 

Ezra carefully brushed off the other man's inquisitive touches. "I'll grace you with the sordid details later, Steerforth. Your partner awaits us. If you've gotten your proof of demise off that bastard, then we really  _ must _ depart."

...

"Mando!" You barely remembered to keep your voice down, overjoyed to see him alive. He was gripping Ezra's shoulder like his life depended on it, his steps uncertain. Your heart sank as you spotted more and more streaks of blood on his beskar and cowling. You quickly undid your hood, wrapping the long piece of sturdy fabric up and over his head to conceal his helmet and part of his breastplate. "It's not much, but hopefully it'll help." You muttered.

Ezra nodded in agreement, helping you tug the cloth into place. Mando just  _ stood _ there, swaying slightly. "Are we ready?" Ezra asked softly, checking over his strange blaster. 

You nodded and Mando grunted, his fingers digging into Ezra's shoulder. "M' not gonna' be much good to either of you." The bounty hunter confessed hoarsely. "Head's spinning. Got my bell rung."

"You have lost a copious amount of blood if the wound on the back of your skull was anything to go by." Ezra replied. "Keep quiet and everything will be creamy."

You held out your hand and Mando accepted it after a moment, his gloved fingers trembling in your grasp. "Told you to leave without me." He muttered as the three of you set out.

"What, and have me to limp back to Karga in your junker of a ship, with a  _ baby _ to take care of?" You shot back, trying to smile. "No way, nice try. Dealing with you after that nexu was bad enough."

Mando cleared his throat. "I'm sorry Senaar, I...I didn't...I mean after our...I should have said something." He apologized clumsily, squeezing your hand. "Shouldn't have pretended nothing happened. Should have talked to you."

"Yeah, you shouldn't have." You agreed. "But I'll get over it."

"It was stupid.  _ I _ was stupid. Scared. Afraid of what-"

Ezra hushed the two of you as a group of armed Falleen trotted past you. The activity level in the base seemed to be rising steadily. An alert must have gone out, it might have even started when you shorted the system to gain entry.

A Twi'lek approached from the opposite direction, the man slowing to a jog when he caught sight of your trio. "Ezra! Didn't you hear the news? Someone fucked up Haast!" The Twi relayed, his lekku fidgeting around his shoulders. "The secondary said we should...who is  _ this? _ " He interrupted himself to ask, his eyes raking over your body. You unintentionally gripped Mando's hand a little tighter. "I've never seen  _ you _ before! Ezra, you keep this one locked in your bunk or somethin'?" 

"What a positively repugnant thing to say, my friend." Ezra replied, his tone deadpan. "You are just the most obtuse thing I have come across today."

The Twi'lek preened a little. "I know, right?" He said proudly. You barely kept from snickering; he clearly had no idea what he had just been called. He got even  _ closer _ , however, hungrily looking you up and down. "I mean,  _ wow _ . She's so clean!" His grin was full of blackened teeth. You nearly gagged from the smell, your finger twitching on the trigger of your blaster. "You order her special from one of the baths?"

From beside you, there was a modulated grunt and abruptly Mando's metal forehead met the Twi's skull with a dull  _ crunch _ . 

"The conversation lacked intellectual stimulation anyway." Ezra agreed with Mando's unspoken reasoning, carefully stepping over the crumpled body.

…

Ezra had rescued him. Ezra and  _ you _ had come to his rescue. Din was spiced and half-dead and everything  _ hurt _ but the two of you…

Hearing Ezra's voice had been like an entirely different shock to his system, the other man's drawl hitting his unguarded ears and briefly making Din forget about the throbbing in his head and the blood that kept dripping off the end of his nose. 

It stirred his memories of the night spent with you and Ezra in the throes of the Serpent's grip, Ezra's honeyed tones crushing up in his chest as the other man rattled on with his heated narration--

Din was too hurt to be thinking about this shit, what the  _ fuck _ was the matter with him? 

He hadn't wanted to bring it up to you after you woke up. He didn't want to embarrass you, and if you regretted it…

Djarin knew he was a coward of a Mandalorian who would never  _ really _ reconcile with his desire to touch and taste and  _ be _ , and he could live with that knowledge. He just didn't want to be alone again, even at the cost of pretending like nothing had happened. Because you didn't bring it up, maybe you didn't even remember, maybe you thought it was a dream. But you didn't treat him any differently. 

He was still your Mando, and you were his Senaar. That was the important part. He could live without touching you again. Live without feeling you again, as long as you just...as long as you  _ stayed _ .

But Ezra…

Ezra knew, he had to. Ezra had known more about the plant than Din from the beginning. Ezra had kept Din from inadvertently hurting you. Ezra, with his wounded arm and those deep,  _ sad _ brown eyes. Djarin had bargained with him, shielded him,  _ lied _ for him, something he never did for quarry. Maybe that was his Mandalorian complex talking, his Creed-deep desire to protect. Maybe he was just taken in because they shared faces.

It made his breath seize when he noticed the other man's missing arm. Din felt a flash of white-hot  _ fury _ penetrate the drugged-out stupor he was in, and then guilt.  _ Guilt _ , heavy and sticky like tar, like when he had turned the kid in. Ezra dodged his question and it just made Din a thousand times more confused. He ran over the scenario in his mind again and again, forcing himself to focus. He had treated the wound properly, he  _ knew _ he had. What could have happened?

The Twi'lek looking at you like prey roused Din  _ yet again _ . He looked at you like food. He looked at you like something to  _ break _ and ruin and take from. Din's head throbbed and he grimaced beneath the helmet, certain this was a terrible idea but unwilling to wait for Ezra to talk the three of you out of this engagement. And he  _ definitely _ wasn't going to stand docile while this self-important greaseball talked about you like you were a fucking  _ object _ .

So he headbutted the Twi. 

Not his finest moment. Pain exploded behind his eyes and he regretted it almost immediately. He wasn't  _ jealous _ , why would he be jealous of some nameless  _ trash _ that was looking at you like you were a defenseless-

He wasn't  _ jealous _ . You didn't need  _ him _ to defend you. That was evident enough in the current situation!

You squeezed his hand and he squeezed back after a moment. Was that you saying you were grateful? Or were you reprimanding him for being a fucking idiot? Din couldn't keep  _ anything _ straight in his head. 

He did his best to behave himself after that, just keeping his helm down and letting you lead him along behind Ezra until the three of you slipped out a side door and into the alley beside the building. 

Din groaned in pain, squinting his eyes against the sunlight.  _ Stars _ , it was fucking  _ bright _ . He had no idea what time it was, the amount of hours he had spent inside that room nothing but a jumbled mess. 

Ezra took his empty exosuit sleeve and quickly tied it around Din's wrist, his expression carefully unreadable. "Do you have credits? I can pay you back in points." The prospector asked you, inclining his head when you nodded. "We will need to stock up on supplies. I did not get a particularly  _ good _ look at his injuries, but I wager they are a touch more threatening than some simple bruises or scrapes."

"Got some things on the  _ Crest _ ." Djarin's words slurred together. 

"What do you have, exactly? You've lost a  _ lot _ of blood, Steerforth." Ezra pointed out, "you'll need a hemopak, perhaps even two. You were in that mess for two and a half days. Then we'll need to ward off any sort of infection, which warrants the bacta, shots or patches. Larger cuts may require a burner."

Din's head  _ hurt _ . He rested it on your shoulder, his helmet feeling too heavy to hold up. 

"Stay with us, Steerforth." Ezra muttered, leading the armored man out into the bustling street. "We aren't out of the Green  _ just _ yet, my friend." 

…

Mando seemed to be in a bad way. His helmet kept listing to one side or the other, his footing unsteady. Whatever Haast had plied him with must have been  _ strong _ , and Ezra doubted all the head trauma had helped.

Your concern for the armor-clad man was incredibly touching. You just kept speaking softly to him, kept him moving. The Mandalorian practically clung to you, obviously deriving some form of comfort merely from your proximity.

"Just a little longer." You murmured, directing Ezra towards the shipfield on the outskirts of the settlement after he had bought the supplies. "We'll get back to the  _ Crest _ , get you cleaned up."

"The quarry trapped me, drugged me and took off my helmet." Mando confessed and Ezra heard you make a sympathetic sound.  _ Kevva _ , you were so damnably tender with this roughshod bounty hunter. Ezra couldn't even muster up the ability to be  _ jealous _ , his emotions simply hovering at wistful. "I'm not supposed to be wearing it anymore, but Ezra convinced me I need to protect my head." 

"The quarry was the only one that saw your face, right?" You reasoned. "And he's dead now? I think you're okay."

Mando scoffed, "Broke the Creed.  _ I _ should be dead."

" _ No _ . Think of the kid!" You scolded. Ezra's ears pricked up. That was twice now. First you had referenced a baby, and now a 'kid'. Did Mando have a  _ child? _ "You have a lot more to be concerned about now, y'know. I'm pretty sure Death Watch rules stop applying when you pick up a Foundling."

" _ I _ was a Foundling raised by Death Watch, Senaar." The armored man growled. "I think  _ I _ would know if rules stopped applying." 

"All I'm saying is that it's hard to justify  _ extremism _ if you have a little mouth to feed." You retorted. "If something happens to you-"

"You knew what you signed up for." Mando snapped. 

" _ Dumbass _ , I signed up for fucking  _ credits _ . Not babysitting your weird green kid." You barked back. "He hasn't stopped crying since day  _ two _ , you know that?"

"How the  _ hell _ could I know that, I…" Mando paused, pressing a hand to the side of his helmet. "Wait. Wait, stop. Stop. I'm-" He panted, gagging loudly and doubling over.

"Oh no, no no no do  _ not _ puke in your bucket Mando!" You yelped.

Ezra reached down, rushing to unwind your cloak so he could spread it out over Mando's head and shoulders. "If you must, do it quickly."

The helmet clattered on the ground and you jumped back from it like it was rigged to explode. Ezra looked away, grimacing as Mando dry heaved.

…

_ He hasn't stopped crying since day two _ . 

Din wanted to die. Sincerely, utterly, with every fiber of his being, he  _ wanted _ to die. Sure, he could swear up and down that he never meant to hurt the kid or scare him, but the fact of the matter was that the little womp rat must have thought he'd been  _ abandoned _ by the one person who he had trusted--

Djarin's queasiness finally abated enough that he felt able to don his helmet again. And that was one  _ more _ thing to work out. For all intents and purposes, he wasn't a Mandalorian anymore. He had disgraced the Creed by allowing himself to be unmasked. What would that mean for his Foundling?  _ Especially _ if something happened to him? Would the Covert even help his Foundling if they knew that he had disgraced the Creed? If something happened to him, would they turn the kid away? "I...I'm sorry." He apologized thickly. "I shouldn't have... _ fuck _ , I'm so sorry, Senaar."

"Don't tell  _ me _ you're sorry." You retorted, gesturing at the  _ Razor Crest _ looming up out of the dust. "You're going to have to apologize to  _ him _ ."

Din's heart sank. 

"Whatever you two are  _ bickering _ about will have to wait until we treat the wounds Mando has acquired." Ezra put an end to the discussion with his pragmatic words, tugging on his sleeve to haul Din forward. 

_ We _ . 

Din let himself be moved, narrowing his eyes in thought. Ezra had reappeared in the nick of time, though his  _ arm _ -

Guilt flooded Djarin's stomach all over again, and he swallowed. "Did I not fix your arm right?" He rasped, pulling back on the sleeve so that Ezra knew he was addressing him. Ezra was silent for longer than Din expected. He almost repeated himself, thinking that the other man hadn't heard him. 

Then, "This loss had nothing to do with you, Steerforth. The folks who had put up my bounty tracked me to Sorgan, and I led them away as best as I could per your merciful condition." Ezra's face was turned away so Din couldn't see his expression. "But when they finally caught up to me, their thirst for vengeance had not been slaked in the slightest." He cupped his fingers around the stump of his right arm. "We played a great game of surgery, those maladjusted miscreants and myself." He murmured.

You made a noise of horror and Din couldn't blame you. "Surgery?" The Mandalorian ( _ ex-Mandalorian? _ ) asked weakly, his painfully-empty stomach clenching tight. "They...they  _ cut _ your arm off?" 

"Well, they made a valiant attempt at doing so before leaving me to bleed out." Ezra replied lightly. "Had to finish the job myself. Nearly expired from the blood loss, and then of course there was the sepsis to worry about-"

"Gods,  _ stop _ ." You interrupted him. "How can you just... _ say _ that, all calm? What the  _ fuck? _ "

"Reality tends to be on the grim side. I apologize, little bird. Sinking into a great void of poetic depression is a luxury that only the well-to-do can afford, I am afraid." Ezra mourned, his expression hollow while he untied his sleeve from Din's bracer. "I have since made do with one arm, but I am not the valuable asset I once was to an employer. Hence my shacking up with a ne'erdowell mercenary group led by a cretinous drug-pusher like  _ Haast _ ."

…

You covered your mouth, trying to stifle your reaction to Ezra's heartbreaking tale. You were sure the last thing he wanted was  _ pity _ , not after working so hard to survive! 

You wished that you could hug him, or say  _ something _ . No wonder he looked haunted.

Mando inadvertently came to your rescue by almost collapsing, the bounty hunter slurring out a half-Basic string of curses as you rushed to duck your head under his arm and take some of his weight.

"Easy, I've got you." You assured him firmly, wrapping an arm around his waist.

He sagged onto you, one large hand fisting in your tunic. "Senaar, I'm gonna' pass out." He mumbled, extending his vambrace to you so you could punch in the code for the loading ramp.

"Not until the kid sees you." 

Mando groaned, but nodded. "Try." 

"One step at a time, Steerforth." Ezra cajoled, walking up the ramp first and tipping his shoulder in invitation for Mando to grab onto his empty sleeve again. The bounty hunter brushed him off, struggling valiantly up the ramp mainly under his own power. 

The kid toddled forward into the sunlight at the top of the ramp, his wet little face tilted up to stare at Ezra. Ezra stared right back, appearing speechless.

"Hey there, little one." You said softly, drawing the child's attention to you and his 'father'. The kid made a noise of distress, scrambling down the ramp to Mando and seizing the bounty hunter's greave. He buried his snub nose against the metal, snuffling and snorting as he bawled.

Mando grunted, reaching a hand down to hoist the kid by the back of his robe. "Calm down." He said gruffly. "You can't lose it every time I leave for more than two days." The child just cried even  _ harder _ , his little body shaking. Mando sighed heavily in defeat, tucking the child into the crook of his elbow. 

The kid rubbed his face against the beskar breastplate, his tiny fingers spread as wide as he could on the scored surface. You could hear his claws scraping the metal when he fidgeted, but Mando didn't appear to notice. Either that or he was just too exhausted and hurt to care.

"You're alright, little one. We got him back." You soothed, drawing your fingers over the child's head. He whimpered in reply, shrinking down in Mando's hold. "We have to get him patched up so he feels better." You continued carefully, freeing up your other hand so you could make the gesture for 'help'. "Can you help me out?"

The child stared up at Mando, then looked back at you and put his little hand on top of your own. 

You smiled at him, thumbing the tears off his cheeks. "That's the spirit, pollywog."

"What an expressive creature." Ezra observed warily from the top of the ramp. "It understands you? Is it some type of pet?"

"He's a  _ Foundling _ ," Mando snarled at the other man, "not a  _ pet _ ." 

Ezra held up his lone hand in surrender, taking a step backwards into the ship. "I apologize for any offense I've caused. He is a...juvenile of his species, then? A child? His behavior indicates-"

"He's fifty." Mando grunted.

"Hey, maybe we can have this discussion later?" You interrupted hurriedly, as you could almost  _ see _ the onslaught of questions that Ezra wanted to ask. "After we're off this  _ planet _ , that sort of thing?"

"A prudent suggestion, little bird. Well, Steerforth?"

…

A  _ child _ .

Ezra absolutely  _ had not _ pegged the Mandalorian for the charitable type (which he realized was decidedly  _ uncharitable _ of him, considering the mercy the other man had extended to him during their last encounter). 

Mando seemed to be a man of many surprises, not least of all the prodigiously-eared green child that sat quietly in the co-pilot chair as the armored man navigated the ship out into the lightspeed paths. A  _ Foundling _ . No doubt something to do with that Mandalorian Creed. Mando had mentioned that he was a Foundling as well, did that mean he had been adopted into some sort of fold? Did he follow the aforementioned Creed so strictly due to loyalty, or gratitude to whomever had taken him in?

_ Death Watch _ .

Ezra felt like he would burst with all the queries he wanted to pose. It took most of his not-inconsiderable willpower to remain quiet in the bay once Mando had plotted the course and descended back into the hold for his treatment. 

Wound management could prove...difficult.

"I understand that the Creed is everything to you, okay?" Your voice was soft again, "but I don't know if I can treat your face."

"Forget it." Mando said brusquely, fumbling for the med kit. "I'll just do it myself." 

"I'm not  _ refusing _ to, maybe if you blindfold-"

"I'll do it. My.  _ Self _ ." The Mandalorian repeated, attempting to stand to his full height. It went well, until something appeared to catch and he grunted in pain. "I took care of things like this  _ just fine _ before you, Senaar."

Masculine bravado would be the death of humanity someday. For all they knew, Mando was sporting broken ribs or internal bleeding and yet here he was,  _ stubbornly _ brushing off any sort of help because of some blasted tradition. Ezra could respect such levels of dedication or loyalty, but once it proved detrimental to one's  _ health _ , well…even Kevvaites had their limits. Saders had their moments of clarity.  _ Surely _ Mandalorians must also have some level of self-preservation? What if one was away from their clan when something terrible happened?

"Steerforth, need I remind you that Haast tried to cave in the  _ back _ of your skull as well as the front?" He asked dryly. "You may be out of your solitary medical league."

"Do I have to bring up the nexu incident?" You added. "Because I will."

Mando growled wordlessly, one gloved hand landing on your head and mussing your hair in an oddly-tender gesture.

"Stop grumbling, you obstinate tinker's cart." Ezra needled. "Let your associate assist you, or I will assist you. Either way you  _ will _ be assisted, but I shall generously allow you to pick the well-meaning nursemaid that does the work."

Mando stammered with indignation, " _ T-Tinker's-? _ " The child started giggling, obviously finding the armored man's noises highly entertaining. You snorted, trying to hide the fact that you were also laughing. "I can't catch a break, can I?" Mando finally muttered, his shoulders drooping. "M' so tired and my head... _ Maker _ , it won't stop pounding. But the Creed. I-I can't." His voice rasped. "I  _ can't _ ."

"What would the members of your organization do if they suffered such injuries?" Ezra asked curiously.

"Fix it alone. Or die." Mando answered bluntly. "This is the Way."

"Mercy, Steerforth." Ezra was a bit taken aback by the other man's response. "What's the use of  _ having _ a clan if you're still left to fend for yourself?"

Mando hesitated. "There used to be more of us. Maybe things were different then. Maybe it was safer, maybe we could take off our helmets with each other." He theorized, his fingers gripping the bottom of his helm. 

"You need  _ help _ , Mando. I don't want to lose you." You pleaded, your voice cracking in a way that made Ezra's heart seize. "Please let us help you."

"You can conceal your face while we work on the back of your head." Ezra bargained. "A simple bandanna would suffice, a rag...just put your face in your hands, even. But we need to work quickly."

It felt like an  _ eternity _ before Mando finally nodded in grudging acquiescence. "Both of you, turn around while I get out of my armor. Put the kid in the bunk, Senaar. He's worn out from all the excitement."

…

Din began slowly peeling the beskar off his body. Everything  _ hurt _ , his skin rubbed raw in his suit from his prolonged time under extreme duress. He couldn't stop shaking and he had no idea whether it was from nerves or the drug he had gotten spiced with. It was like the polar opposite of the Serpentia; hyper-sensitive but instead of a pleasurable ache it was  _ agony _ .

Djarin finally tried to quickly remove his helmet, the pain from the wound on the back of his skull making starbursts of light explode across the field of his vision. He nearly lost consciousness again, crumpling to the floor of the cargo bay and pounding his knuckles into the grating in mute frustration. He was so  _ weak _ , how was he supposed to protect the kid when he was like this? 

Someone knelt beside him and he flinched, hiding his face in the crook of his elbow. "Gods Mando, that looks  _ terrible _ ." You murmured. 

Din's stomach lurched when he felt your hand graze the back of his head and he blindly swatted you away, a loud moan of pain escaping him. 

"You need to let them tend to you, Steerforth." Ezra reasoned, his voice dipping lower no doubt in an effort to soothe.

"I  _ know _ , it's a reflex. Too near my head...I can't…" Din groaned, tears pricking at his eyes. "Want to puke."

One of your tunics flopped into his field of view. "Cover your face, Mando. We need to get started." Your voice was firm. An order. That was good. He could manage that. If it was an order, he could follow that. Simple.  _ Simple _ .

Din reached out a shaky hand and grabbed the tunic, fumbling to press his face into the soft material. It smelled like  _ you _ and Din couldn't do anything about the way his heart twisted in his chest. Stars, his touch-starved suffering had been compounded by his lie of omission. By pretending that the Serpentia incident had never occurred, he had just dug himself a deeper hole. 

He thought of you when he  _ knew _ he shouldn't. He thought of you naked, calling out the only name for him that you knew as Ezra devoured you and  _ stars _ , it was  _ torment _ , it was anguish, but it was the Way.

To think his devotion to the Creed would be broken almost as a fucking  _ happenstance _ , just because some asshole didn't like the Mando'ade on principle. 

Din gritted his teeth. "I shouldn't have gone alone." He admitted into the shirt. "Should have brought you with me, Senaar." He would get blood all over your tunic, he realized dimly. It would be ruined. "Wait, your shirt...my face is…"

Ezra eased him upright, helping him adjust the article of clothing to ensure that his face was wholly concealed. "Don't trouble yourself with that right now, Steerforth." The other man said quietly. "Just lean forward and relax. We will take care of you."

The bacta shot plunged home in his shoulder and Din moaned again, his hands clenched in your tunic. Something was  _ wrong _ , the pain spiking as hot as arousal in his belly. He had always been fucked up, but  _ this? _

"I know it hurts. I'm sorry." You apologized and he wanted to swear, he wanted to  _ scream _ . 

Din half-smothered himself with the tunic. This was like it had been with the nexu but  _ worse _ , he was  _ conscious _ for this. He had made enough of a fool of himself back then, palming over your face and whimpering the name he had for you.  _ Weak _ . The desire for touch made him so fucking  _ weak _ compared to the others of his Creed.

Even now, incapacitated with a ( _ probably _ ) life-threatening wound on the back of his head, Din wanted to grab you, drag you into his lap and glut himself on all the forbidden skin you so readily displayed. 

Your touch on the back of his head was cautious. You flushed the wound with the usual antiseptic solution; Din could smell the sharp, tangy scent of it well without his helmet. Everything was so loud.  _ Bright _ . He forced himself to focus on the tunic that he had buried his face in, tried to ignore the brush of your knuckles when you started using the cauterizer. The scent of  _ you _ was so strong that Djarin bit down on the cloth unconsciously, his teeth questing to mark and claim bare skin in a way that he had never indulged in.

Stars, he had never even  _ kissed _ anyone, how was he supposed to be able to  _ bite _ -

Something was wrong with him. Something was so, so wrong. Din's dick was hard and  _ leaking _ in his compression leggings, he could feel the precome trickling down his thigh. Was it the bacta reacting to whatever swill he had been spiced with by the quarry? Stars, you were  _ burning _ a wound on his head closed, why was he  _ hard? _

Ezra wrapped his arm around Din's chest, that warm palm splayed open on the other man's pectoral.  _ Possessive, possessive _ . His temple pressed to Din's through the tunic and the Mandalorian could feel his stubble catching on the other man's facial hair, the sensation making the hairs at his nape bristle. "You're alright. They're almost done." Ezra whispered, no doubt trying to be comforting as his palm rubbed Djarin's chest through his suit.

Realization hit Din like a bolt of lightning. Your skin, Ezra's skin was touching  _ his _ skin. Ezra had his head all but tucked into his neck, mouth hovering beside his ear, Maker, their  _ stubble _ was rasping together. You had your hand on the nape of his neck, you were  _ touching _ him, holding his head steady, fingers gently stroking through his dirty, matted hair-- 

Din hadn't had this level of contact since before he swore the Creed. The blatant intimacy of the situation was  _ genuinely _ arousing him, despite the lack of explicit sexual charge. Djarin had never encountered anything like this. The only time in his adult life that he had felt skin on his own was when he sought out pleasurable company and even  _ then _ , he didn't take anything off. No true Mando  _ did _ , to his knowledge. Din would simply unzip his fly and bury himself where he was directed. Skin to skin contact somewhere  _ aside _ from his groin?

Din was  _ shaking _ , panting, his breath coming in shivering heaves as his body tensed up beneath you and Ezra. Oh  _ Maker _ , he was going to come in his compression leggings. His dick was pinned down to his thigh and Ezra was holding him too tightly for him to move but it didn't matter,  _ stars _ he was going to come from the pain and the proximity. 

His back arched, begging for more pressure, begging for the sweet assault and Ezra adjusted his grip, crushing the Mandalorian's shoulder to his chest. " _ Senaarrrr _ …" Din fucking  _ sobbed _ , his face hot with shame and his voice muffled by the tunic. He was  _ absolutely _ going to come. He was going to come because you were tending his wounds. He was going to orgasm over getting  _ patched up _ and  _ touched _ . 

Maker, he was  _ pathetic _ . 

Ezra went still at Din's noise, his own breath hitching momentarily. "They're nearly finished." He finally repeated hoarsely. "A few more moments, Steerforth, then you may rest."

Din wondered dimly if he had come after he had passed out when you were tearing the quills out of his back. He could feel his dick pulsing against his thigh, his balls drawing up in preparation, he couldn't  _ move _ but it was so  _ close _ -

Your touch was suddenly gone,  _ no! _ "All done. You're done." You informed him shakily. 

Din wanted to fucking  _ cry _ , his cock was so  _ hard _ in his leggings, everything  _ hurt _ and  _ throbbed _ and he just needed...Maker, he  _ needed _ to come, he needed to!

He shoved the side of his head into Ezra's,  _ hard _ , the pain shuddering down his spine but it wasn't enough. Ezra grunted, his fingers digging in rougher than before while Din hunched over, his body trembling with ruined spasms. "It's over, Steerforth." The other man soothed gently.

Djarin bit down on your tunic. 

…

Mando was dead silent after you finished, the stoic man no doubt embarrassed by the noises he had made while you patched up the back of his head. He had sounded almost  _ pornographic _ , worse than he had been with the nexu quills. 

Maybe there was something about getting snowed with bacta that destroyed his usual inhibitions. Hell, maybe Mando just  _ liked _ the pain. He was a  _ bounty hunter _ after all, one didn't enter that profession without a few kinks and a death wish. 

You grimaced at yourself, what did that make  _ you? _

You remembered the way he had loomed over you during your little  _ incident  _ with the Serpentia, a predator coiled and ready to strike. You remembered it a little  _ too _ well, if you were being totally honest, how much you had hoped through your haze that even with the mind-altering substance, he liked what he saw. Since that day, you hadn't sought out any other partners. What you had believed to be an  _ incredibly _ vivid wet dream had ruined any aspirations of getting this one  _ particular _ Mando off your mind.

The knowledge that his hair was brown felt strangely sacred. It was a little darker than Ezra's, and shaggy. You wished you had touched it more, had paid more attention to the feel of it in your hands. You would probably never touch it again.

_ Ugh _ , this was the problem with Mandos! Any contact you had with them, with  _ him _ , always ended up having this strange gravitas. Any vulnerability displayed would almost certainly never occur again, leaving you with nothing but delicate memories of stolen touches, the graze of your fingertips on the bare skin between sleeve and glove.

Before the Serpentia you had been content to just accept that the only portion of a Mando's skin you would ever see  _ fully _ was related to their groin. Now though...

"Point for your thoughts?" Ezra asked softly. When had he come up alongside you?

"Oh! Ezra, sorry. I was just…" you gestured helplessly at the first aid supplies spread out around you. "Trying to figure out what to do about Mando, you know. That was too close for me."

"How long has he been bathing?"

"He's only been in for a few minutes." You shrugged. "If he showers with the helmet on, I think it'll be okay?"

Ezra hummed thoughtfully, propping his hip up on the crate beside you. "I did not believe I would ever see you or Steerforth again, little bird." He remarked. "Kevva works in mysterious ways."

You inclined your head, unsure as to who exactly  _ Kevva _ was but assuming it was just one more interstellar term for the Maker. "I'm glad you found me, honestly." Your voice dipped a little. "I don't know whether I would have been able to rescue him without your help."

Ezra shook his head. "I have...been unable to keep my thoughts off of the two of you." He admitted. "I know that we promised to operate as a sealed unit, but I...gods, the way I felt when we...I am tormented, little bird. I cannot put either of you from my mind." He stared off at the wall, his expression troubled as he brushed his fingers over the stump of his arm. "And now I am but a poor echo of the man I once was."

"Ezra…" you were at a loss for words, finally resorting to laying a hand on his elbow. 

"The child's reaction to him was incredibly telling." Ezra muttered, almost like he was speaking to himself. "Steerforth is not some cold,  _ unfeeling _ machine within the confines of that armor. It is perplexing that people would treat him as such." 

"You know as well as I do that people fear what they don't understand." You shrugged, patting his arm. 

"Too true, little bird." Ezra agreed sadly. "If you could have heard the vitriol Haast spat at him!"

The door to the refresher slid open and Mando emerged from the tiny area, the only things on his body a worn set of compression leggings, an old liner shirt that was riddled with holes and his helmet. He clung to the doorframe for a moment, like he was fighting for balance. 

You swore quietly. You had never seen him so  _ undressed _ before, and you weren't even allowed to enjoy it! His torso was covered in bruising that you could see through the liner, and there was a sear mark on his side from a prodder. "Please tell me you at least sanitized your helmet before you put it back on." You grimaced.

He nodded. "Sonics. Bad cut between my eyes needed a burner. Blood everywhere. Cleaned it up though." After a moment, he slurred, "Bacta. Just juice me and I'll sleep it off. Save the hemo-"

"Mando," You interrupted him sharply, "we  _ got _ the hemo for this reason. I'll give you more bacta, but we're  _ using _ the hemopaks  _ today _ ." 

"What if we need them later?" Mando protested, "what if something...what if you, o-or if the kid-?"

Stars, he was  _ always _ like this! So eager to stockpile and horde resources but when the time came to  _ use _ them, he fought to talk himself out of it!

"A compromise." Ezra interjected, cautiously taking Mando's arm to lead him to the nest of blankets you had made on the floor. "Our little bird will use one hemopak on you today, and the other shall be kept in reserve.  _ But _ . You must allow yourself the time for your cells to replenish properly."

"Ours?" Mando mumbled, thumping his helmet against Ezra's shoulder and then lolling it so the visor was aimed at you. "Ours. Senaar." You could hear the dopey smile in his voice and you wanted to laugh.

"You're out of it, Mando. Just lay down and I'll get the hemo set up." You affectionately tapped your fingers on the side of his helm, surprised when he leaned into the touch.

...

Ezra couldn't sleep. If not on account of the strange environment, then simply because Haast's words kept ringing in his ears over and over. 

" _ What the  _ **_fuck_ ** _ , are you guys twins or something? _ "

Did Mando actually  _ look _ like him, or was Haast seeing double from the trauma of having his thigh blown apart? What an interesting coincidence it would be if he and the Mandalorian were similar in appearance! Perhaps that would also explain the other man's willingness to work with him during the Serpentia debacle. 

Ezra's breath caught. If he and Mando looked alike, Mando would be the only one who would know. But Mando couldn't take off his helmet, of course.  _ Mando _ couldn't put his mouth on you, devour you until you wept like he so obviously wanted to.  _ Mando _ couldn't kiss you, which added new credence to the way the bounty hunter had dragged Ezra back to your mouth repeatedly. Through Ezra, Mando could accomplish a variety of forbidden tasks. That was, of course, if his suspicions were correct and they did indeed share some portions of their visage. Ezra swallowed hard, trying to combat the sudden dryness in his throat. 

Mando's modulated voice abruptly pierced the silence. "Tell me about who did that to you."

Ezra rolled onto his side, looking curiously at the other man. "You ought to sleep, Steerforth."

Mando was on his stomach, his helmet padded on his bandaged forearm. Your hand rested on the small of his back, like you were trying to make sure he would stay put even as you slept. "I don't sleep much," was all Mando said in reply.

Ezra sighed. "There's nothing that-"

"Tell me." Mando insisted. 

"There were four of them at first, Steerforth. They stumbled across my dig in the Green. The odds were not in my favor, so I attempted negotiations." Ezra hesitated. "The one they sent to bargain with me, Jack, was hotheaded, young, barely into adulthood. Foolhardy. I tried to reason with him, but he...he would not listen. It was myself or him, and I had the quicker draw."

"This is the Way." Mando murmured. " _ Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur _ ."

"Pardon?"

"A saying among the Mando'ade. It was a good day for someone else to die."

Ezra huffed out a humorless laugh. "I suppose it was. Perhaps they wanted revenge for my audacious act of slaughtering their new blood. They sent a variety of ill-suited floaters after me, even though they thieved most of my haul. No one of your caliber, of course, otherwise I would have been apprehended expediently."

"They found you on Sorgan though." Mando prompted. 

"Oh yes. After the salaciously  _ sticky _ fever dream of encountering yourself and your little bird, I  _ had _ hoped my luck was changing." Ezra sighed heavily. "But no, of course not. My luck is eternally abysmal. I picked poorly when it came to careers, I must surmise." 

Mando's hand reached out, fingers once again covered by those gloves. The touch on Ezra's side was strangely light, almost ticklish. 

"Don't blame yourself, Steerforth. Perhaps I grew too careless." It wounded him to admit it, even to himself, but it was more truthful. He  _ had _ gotten complacent after encountering you and the Mandalorian, especially after doing a bit more research on Mandalorians. 

They were a strong, resourceful group of people infamous for their armor and armaments, as well as their loyalty to their clans. Not well-known for being particularly  _ merciful _ to their quarry or enemy.

_ Something _ had happened to them. Something that the few entries he had come across failed to elaborate upon. A terrible reaping, a culling of some kind that left them so sparse most of the known galaxy believed they had been wiped out. Ezra wished he could simply  _ ask _ the Mandalorian, but the other man's earlier befuddlement over his helmet seemed to contraindicate him actually having any pertinent information.

"I want names." Mando said, and Ezra had to quickly recall what they had been speaking about before his brain moved onto its newest vignette.

"Steerforth, there is no need for more bl-"

Mando's fingers fisted in Ezra's baggy exosuit. " _ Names _ ." Ah, there it was. That  _ particular _ tone he had taken when Ezra was his prey. The former prospector bit down on the inside of his cheek, willing his erection to abate.

_ Names _ . "Just what are you planning on  _ doing _ with these monikers, Steerforth?"

"No questions asked in the Guild."

…

Two days later, Din sat across from Karga in the cantina on Nevarro. Business had been done, the Guild master accepting the carbonite-encased proof of demise and sliding the Mandalorian his bounty in a combination of universal credits and Calamari flan.

"I assume you'll be back out into the wild shortly?" Karga mused, smiling bemusedly at the other man. "What with your little charge and all. No rest for the wicked, eh Mando?"

Din hesitated. "I have a...favor to ask."

Karga leaned back in the booth, looking downright flabbergasted. "You? Asking for a  _ favor? _ " 

Djarin grunted and nodded.

"Well by all means, ask away!"

"I need you to look up some names for me. No questions."

"As is our usual custom." Karga took back one of the flan from the stack he had given the Mandalorian, and then tugged out an old, worn data pad. "The names are?"

"Inquisitor Inumon. Second Illumination, one of Par Chu's. Mikken. May still be going by the Dog of the Cuts, Krebine." Din did his best to keep his tone level. "And Zed. Kaslo heir."

Greef raised an eyebrow at that. The older man glanced up at him after a moment of scrolling through his data pad. Djarin could  _ see _ the questions Karga wanted to ply him with. "They're in the database," Greef began. "But not as bounties. Well, as our jurisdiction's bounties, at any rate. They put  _ out _ a bounty on someone cycles ago.  _ You _ took that bounty, if I recall correctly. Something about the pod burning up in orbit?"

"Give me their chain codes." Din grunted, his hand already hovering over the keypad on his gauntlet.

"Now wait just a moment, Mando." Greef protested. "They're not all criminals, not yet anyway. No bounties have been issued for them aside from-"

"Yeah, and I'm not waiting around for justice to reach them. Give me the chain codes or give me my money back, Karga. Your call." Djarin crossed his arms over his chest. While Greef continued to deliberate, the Mandalorian's patience thinned. He finally slammed his fist down on the table, leaning in. "They're  _ mutilators _ , Karga. I'm not waiting for some fucking  _ diplomat _ on Coruscant to deem them a threat, I know they're a threat  _ now _ and I'm going after them." He hissed through his teeth.

"Mutilators? Mando, that's a serious accus-"

"I've had contact with a man who had the majority of his right arm hacked off because he dared to tell them to do their own work." Din snarled. "Don't tell _me_ how serious the fucking accusation is. They left him for dead, _maimed_. He had to finish cutting off his _own_ _arm_ so he could survive, Karga." 

"Stars." Karga muttered. "Why do you Mandos always get involved in such  _ grisly _ business?"

"This is the Way. We're the only ones willing." Din replied wearily. "Chain codes." 

Without another word of protest, Greef read the strings of numbers off. Djarin nodded his thanks and scooped up his payment. "Hey, don't forget the rules!" Karga called right before the Mandalorian walked out the cantina door, his tone stern. "You found that information on your own, understood? This is unrelated to Guild business."

Din nodded, ticking a lazy salute off the side of his helmet.

...

"No Guild support on this one?" You asked in confusion after punching in the first chain code Mando rattled off. "Inu...mon. Maker, she looks like a cunt."

" _ No, she  _ **_looks_ ** _ like a fucking Inquisitor. Keep your voice down. Here's the next one _ ." Mando muttered. Again, the screen flashed with  _ NO GUILD SUPPORT FOUND _ . 

"Mando, this-"

" _ Last code _ ." The armored man cut you off, his transmission hissing slightly. Unsurprisingly, the last code yet again had no Guild support. " _ I still have some things to take care of so we aren't leaving immediately on this hunt, Senaar. I already had Karga transfer your pay to your account. You can head to the bazaar if you need anything. _ "

Your brow furrowed in confusion. "Mando, this wasn't my hunt. Why is Karga paying  _ me? _ "

" _ You came to get me, right? _ " Mando pointed out gruffly. 

"Mando-"

" _ Look, just...just take the credits and be quiet. I-I'll talk to you later, Senaar _ ." If you didn't know any better, he sounded strangely like he was on the verge of tears. 

"Hey, I…" You bit your lip. "Be careful, okay?"

There was a long pause. " _ I'll talk to you later _ ."

You leaned back in the chair after taking off your com band, sighing loudly in frustration. "Something I can assist with, little bird?" Ezra queried from the hold below. Maker, if he could feel your annoyance  _ through _ the floor, you should probably learn to control yourself a bit better.

"Nah, it's okay." You called in reply, moving to descend the ladder to the bay. 

Ezra didn't even look up from his spot by the ramp, a notebook spread open across his lap. The child was clinging to his empty sleeve, eyes wide. "'- _ Stormalong, sirrah, for that is my name! _ ' And look little one, look how long his name is!" Ezra tapped the child's hand on the page. " _ Alfred Bulltop Stormalong _ ."

"What are you reading to him?" You asked curiously.

"Over the years I've indulged in many books, little bird. But a full library is a bit of a luxurious expense when one is a floater adrift in a pod. I took the liberty of jotting down my favorites in a few of my notebooks, though. Painstakingly copied, with the occasional improvement." Ezra replied, giving you a small smile. "This particular tale is of a great sailor. Er, it  _ is _ a children's tale, I assure you. Perfectly appropriate."

You settled down at his feet, your data pad propped up on your knees. "Keep reading, don't mind me." You said absently. "Just researching the next hunt. Oh, and Mando had our boss transfer me credits from Haast's bounty, so we should make a list and pick up what we need."

"'We'? Am I included in your plans, then? Or are you referring to this delightful creature?" Ezra asked, bouncing his leg and making the child squeal with laughter. "I assumed I would be cut loose again. This planet, while a bit on the  _ dry heat _ side, does not appear overly inhospitable. Perhaps Steerforth intended to dispose of me here."

"Mm, I don't think so?" You mumbled, scrolling through the information and highlighting relevant sections for later study. "I  _ believe _ you're stuck with us, pretty boy."

You heard a sharp intake of breath and then Ezra burst out laughing, the noise incredulous in its mirth. You glanced up at him, a little concerned, but he waved you off. "I do not think I've ever heard myself referred to in such a manner, little bird, forgive my eruption." He wheezed.

You shrugged, grinning. "I call 'em like I see 'em, Ezra."

"That is some  _ high _ praise, little bird, high praise indeed." Ezra gave you a thoughtful look, his smile soft around the edges.

You cleared your throat awkwardly and returned your attention to your data pad, willing your flush to dissipate.

Inumon was an  _ Inquisitor _ , and an unidentified party had put out a free-standing bounty on her years ago. Clearly an individual with deep pockets and an even deeper grudge, but the fact that no one had collected it despite the amount of time it had been in active circulation boded poorly for your success. 

Mikken.  _ Dog of the Cuts _ . You got a nasty feeling in the pit of your stomach when you read those words, your eyes flicking up to the stump of Ezra's arm. Former Krebine military, ' _ shock and awe specialist _ '. No bounty. 

Zed, of Kaslo.  _ Kaslo Porting _ , the multibillion-credit corporation that was constantly butting heads with the Dasha Landcraft Rental group for undercutting them on prices. Weirdly, there was a year-old posting for a reward if he was returned to Kaslo unharmed. Some rebellious, spoiled heir?

You shrugged. It was a strange-looking bunch, but maybe Mando was trying to expand his employment pool, make a name for himself outside the scope of the Guild. It didn't hurt that the credits from Inumon's bounty alone would keep the  _ Razor Crest _ in fine form for numerous cycles,  _ and _ you wouldn't even have to worry about the Guild taking a cut of the profits. 

Now all you had to do was locate the targets.


	3. The Allure Of Vengeance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome everyone, welcome to our last installment! I hope you've enjoyed reading this little diversion as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I am so immensely grateful to each and every one of you, my Pedro-broskis. Pedroskis if you will. I'll see you all again soon enough, I'm sure. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains canon-typical violence, brief traumatic flashbacks and consensual double vaginal penetration. Stay safe!]

The Covert was all but silent now. 

Where before numerous Mando'ade had lived, raised their Foundlings, gone about their daily tasks…

Din shuddered as he recalled the _pile_ of helmets and armor, waiting to be rendered down and reborn. He stood outside the forge for nearly ten minutes, his eyes burning with tears he didn't feel worthy to shed.

He was no longer Mando'ade. 

Din removed his helmet once he entered the hallowed space, settling down on one of the many benches with his head bowed in deference. "Din Djarin." The Armorer, the _Alor_ spoke his name evenly while she worked the forge. "I see you do not wear your helm."

Din's voice rasped in his throat as he explained, "I was unmasked. I wasn't properly prepared for the situation. A bounty captured me and I was...drugged with something." 

" _How_ , praytell, were you drugged?" The Alor asked, her tone sharp. "Not an airborne, I assume?"

"No. The helmet kept me safe from those. It was through my gloves." Din held out his wrists for her to examine, his head still bowed. He felt her take his hand in her own, and he flinched when she tugged the glove off to expose his bandaged forearm and raw wrist.

"These gloves are full of _holes_ , Din Djarin."

"He grabbed my wrist. His gloves had needles prepped with some kind of substance. Then, the binders they put on me were also lined with needles." Din gritted his teeth. "He removed my helmet once I had been thoroughly dosed. He had some kind of vendetta against our--a-against Mandalorians."

"What happened to him?" The Alor questioned.

"I killed him."

"Did anyone else see your face? This wound on the back of your head...I assume _you_ did not tend it." Her tone was wry when she continued, "the work is too clean and careful to be your own."

"My partner had me cover my face while they worked on the back of my head. They've always been very respectful of my space and...who I am." Din mumbled. "My other associate was the one who cut me loose, he...he refused to look at me, made me put the helmet back on even when I tried to say I couldn't. He doesn't know anything about the Creed, but he knows it's important."

"And _why_ did you put your helmet back on, Din Djarin? You know it is forbidden." He heard her gloved fingers tapping on his helm.

"As a form of head protection, nothing more." Tears blurred his vision and he blinked hard. "I was unable to defend myself due to the drug, I had to rely on my allies. I was obliged to redon it." 

"Did you think of your Foundling during your time under the influence of the substance? Did you spare a single thought for them?"

"I ordered my partner to bring the child here if I hadn't returned in three days." Djarin's mind raced back to when he had been trapped, the horrified dismay he had felt. "The thought of him stirred me from unconsciousness." He hesitated, unwilling to admit to his weakness regarding his Foundling. "I wanted to...I wanted to cry."

"Remorse when you feared that you had abandoned your Foundling. It seems you have taken well to your role." The Alor mused.

"I have failed. Failed him. Shamed the Creed. My oath has been broken." Din clenched his fists on his thighs and sucked in a deep breath. "So I have come to return the beskar to you. May my failure allow you to craft armor fit for a _true_ Mandalorian."

The Alor was silent for a time and Din just stared dismally at his knees, waiting. To his chagrin a few molten tears escaped down his cheeks and he worked his jaw, closing his eyes. Everything seemed like so much _more_ without the helmet. Louder, hotter, _sharper_. It was agony and wonder all at once. 

Then, "It would be a waste. Your beskar is already worn by a true Mandalorian."

Din's eyes flew open as he felt the helmet, _his_ helmet, descending back down over his head. 

The Armorer fidgeted with the sides for a moment to seat it properly on the gorget and brushed something from beneath the visor. "You, Din Djarin, have surrounded yourself with allies that do not follow our Way. Yet through your example, they treat your helm with the same gravity that the Mando'ade do. They sought to keep you from being exposed, just as your Creed siblings would." The Alor put her hands on either side of Din's helmet, tipping his chin up. "This is the Way."

"Th-This is the Way." Din repeated, his voice thick with tears.

"The man who dared to defile you has been slain by your hand. This is the Way."

"This is the Way."

"You are Mando'ade though not born on _Manda'yaim_ , the Foundling forged in the flames of _Kyr'tsad_. Your name is sacred, your face is secret. This is the Way." The words she spoke were nearly identical to the original oath he had sworn all those years ago. She was having him swear it again, granting him the opportunity for some strange sort of closure. 

"This is the Way." Din breathed.

"Heed my word well, Din Djarin, for I am the Alor of the Covert and my word is truth. You are no less Mandalorian for what has occurred." Her voice softened slightly as his shoulders trembled. "You are no less worthy to wear the helm because of what has transpired."

Din was openly weeping now, his long-neglected emotions tangled into a ball in his chest. The Alor permitted him a moment to collect himself, but it was clear that she required more from him.

"Tell me everything about the quarry and his _vendetta_ against us." She instructed, seating herself across from him. "We will use your experience to devise new countermeasures. Because of you and your allies, we will not need to fear these underhanded tactics." She leaned forward, touching her index finger to the forehead of his helmet. "Through our failings we are forged anew as a people, stronger and wiser than before. This is the Way, Din Djarin."

Din nodded jerkily, his voice strained when he echoed, "This is the Way." He paused uncertainly. "After we...have discussed what we must, I have questions. But they can wait."

...

Night had fallen over the planet, the searing day fading into a much more bearable evening. Ezra leaned against the ramp doorway, luxuriating in the breeze that kicked up little sand dervishes around the base of the _Crest_. 

He studied the lights of the nearby town curiously. When you had ventured out with himself and the child to the bazaar earlier, the surroundings had seemed downright _sleepy_ . A quiet little hub where nothing ever happened. He was immensely surprised to learn that this small settlement was _also_ the headquarters of this system's Bounty Hunters Guild. The organization that employed both yourself and the Mandalorian, based in this tiny development! 

Ezra had just assumed due to the level of kit you two sported that you must come from a larger sect, maybe from somewhere near Central or Coruscant. 

_Interesting_. 

"You hungry?" You asked, startling him from his reverie. Ezra turned to face you, his eyes quickly dropping from the teasing tilt of your lips to the bowl of what _appeared_ to be stew in your hands. "Don't get excited, it came from a can. That's not meat." You informed him with a grimace. "Fresh ingredients are hard to come by out here, you know how it is."

"Have you eaten?" Ezra enquired instead. "And the child, has he?"

"Fed the baby before I tucked him in. He passed out in the stuff." You chuckled. You sat down at the top of the ramp, and patted the metal next to you. "C'mon, don't worry about me. Sit down and eat."

Ezra clumsily did as he was told, his balance still a little off-kilter due to his missing arm. You stared off into the distance as he ate the watery stew, your brow lined with thought. "Where is he?" Ezra queried after several moments of silence. 

You shook your head. "If I had to guess, he's speaking with the head Mando." You tipped your face towards Ezra, giving him a wry grin. "Either that, or he's seeking out the company I usually do when we come here."

"Ah yes, little bird, your lascivious fetish." Ezra feigned dismay. "Your affinity for armored, faceless partners is duly noted."

"Hey, I'm not the only one." You retorted, laughing. " _You_ give him goo-goo eyes!"

"Me? What? I would _never_ indulge in such childish antics!" Ezra announced sternly, gesturing at you with the spoon from his stew. "The audacity of your statement calls for proper reparations, little bird. I detect a hint of _possessiveness_ in your tone." 

" _Possessive?_ Perish the thought!" You laughed. 

Ezra _loved_ the sound of your laughter. He was wholly enamored with it, if he was honest. And the way Mando would tilt his head slightly when you laughed, like he was seeking out the noise! He could hardly blame the other man.

The rattle of armor announced the aforementioned Mandalorian's approach long before he shimmered into being under the landing lights of his ship. Mando cut such an imposing, stark figure against the backdrop of darkness. Ezra heard you sigh softly and he couldn't resist giving you a playful nudge with his elbow. "What news, Steerforth?" The prospector called.

"We'll be leaving soon." Mando said, giving Ezra a two-fingered wave in greeting. "Where's the kid, Senaar? He's going to be staying with friends for a few days."

You popped your lips. "I _just_ got him to sleep a little while ago, Mando. He's still kind of anxious, are you sure we should-"

"I need you for this hunt. Both of you." Mando interrupted quietly. "I don't know how this will go and I can't put him in danger. My... _friends_ are more than willing to take care of him, in the event of something happening."

"I am to be included in your pursuit, then?" Ezra asked in confusion. "What possible use could I be to you, Steerforth? I am no hunter, unless it is resources or knowledge that you seek."

"Oh I know." Ezra got the faintest impression that the armored man was _smiling_ at him, that blasted helmet slanted in his direction. "You're the bait."

Mando proceeded to elaborate on his plan quietly once he acquired the child, the babe slumbering in his arms as he spoke. The slack-mouthed tyke drooling against his armor was almost enough to distract Ezra from the fact that he was instrumental to this _plan_ and, despite his misgivings...he had to admit that the premise piqued his interest.

_Revenge_ , something he had assumed he would be unable to bask in after the abhorrent, gruesome severing of his dominant arm. Mando was offering him a chance at experiencing that cloying, _glorious_ sensation once again. It beckoned as strongly as it ever had, the allure of vengeance coaxing certain _thoughts_ forward in Ezra's subconscious.

Though he did object a bit to being referred to as _bait_.

It was entertaining to discover even _more_ discrepancies in the piecemeal knowledge Ezra had gleaned about the armored man's fiercely tribal and mysterious culture. If he was relying _solely_ on the limited information he had absorbed, Mandalorians tended towards having an overinflated or _overdeveloped_ sense of justice. Now granted, utilizing that broad stroke of terminology for an entire _culture_ smacked of a casual xenophobia, but Ezra was used to it by now. All too often it seemed that the galaxy's scholars were content to water every race and clan down to their most blatant, _stereotypical_ traits without any regard for the subtle nuances of region or biome. Wookie shock troopers. Twi'lek prostitutes. Devaronian wanderers.

_This particular Mandalorian seems a cut above, even amidst the impressive repertoire of his huntsman peers. Stoic and unwavering, yet_ … Ezra tapped his pencil against his chin, recalling how Mando had cradled the child to his chest before setting back out. _Yet careful with those that may need it._ Such as the way the armored man had been _desperate_ to not cause you pain, to the point where he would employ the assistance of someone who, for all intents and purposes, he believed was a criminal. 

What an odd contrast between the purported 'overdeveloped sense of justice' and a bone-deep, instinctive need to spare from unnecessary distress! _Willing to compromise, bend his rigid code in unprecedented circumstances_.

Ezra shook his head ruefully, the pencil scratching slow against the page of his journal. He still wasn't particularly _good_ at writing with his left hand, but he was hardly going to allow _that_ to halt his chronicling. 

_It has been my experience in this dismal, rebarbative world that no one is truly selfless. But as I am a man sans his dominant hand at this juncture, there is no reason for this Mandalorian to keep me around, and even less reason for him to offer me a chance at revenge. I am of no great assistance, and my domestic skills are lacking. His partner seems more than sufficiently capable to offer him whatever aid he might need._

Thinking of you, Ezra bit his lip. He felt foolish, but he wished more than anything that he had been unbound during your previous engagement. Now, he was unsure if he would even be _able_ to...well. There was no real point thinking about something that wouldn't have happened in the first place aside from a perfect storm of circumstance and misfortune. It _certainly_ wouldn't happen again.

_He seeks to offer me as bait to rancorous creatures that tried to devour me once before_ -

You sat down beside him, your expression troubled. "Mando explained the targets to me." You murmured and _ah_ , there it was. The thing he had been fearing. _Pity_ , shining like tears in your eyes. Ezra could feel his lips curling into a defensive sneer as he prepared himself for some sniffling apology over something you could not have prevented.

But you stayed quiet, your arm sliding behind his back to wriggle yourself a little closer. Your proximity and silence was…odd. All too often people whirled and flung themselves past any sort of boundary he might have bothered to erect, hence his usual complicated, rapid-fire verbosity. His loquacious nature served to batter back and keep at distance even the most well-meaning adversary, to ensnare and encumber in pleasantries until he could safely extract himself from the situation.

"What are you doing, little bird?" Ezra grated out, his throat gone dry. "Surely, Steerforth must need your assistance with some task." You shook your head, tucking yourself in beside him. 

Your shoulder propped up the stump of his arm and Ezra could have _sworn_ the rest of the limb was there, hand hanging loose and elbow draped around your neck. He grimaced when the shoulder blade twinged, clearing his throat in an attempt to mask his grunt of pain.

In spite of his wretched, trauma-riddled state, Ezra found himself relaxing slightly. You were warm and _quiet_ against his side, though your perennial kisses on his neck and shoulder stirred such potent memories in him.

The prospector tamped down the mental image that arose unbidden: your naked form beneath Mando's armored body, your lips stretched prettily around his member-- _no_ , he needed to stop this. Needed to stop thinking about the harsh tick of Mando's zipper, the idea of fucking your throat while Mando's fingers or cock plunged into you again and again _and_ \--

_Kevva_ . His breathing had become ragged, sharp in his chest. Clearly, it had been too long for his overexcitable imagination to properly cope. You peered up at him and Ezra groaned, tipping his face to brush his lips over yours in the barest whisper of contact. " _Ezra_..." You breathed and his name was the sweetest noise he had ever heard, for all that it wounded him. 

"Little bird, there is nothing I can do for you that he cannot do better." Ezra murmured ruefully, his next kiss placed on the corner of your mouth. "If you seek to warm my bed out of some misguided desire to make me feel like a _whole_ man should something go awry tomorrow, I regret to inform you your efforts are in vain." His tone was unintentionally bitter.

"It's not." You protested. "I just don't know a lot of ways to cheer someone up. You seemed worried." 

Ezra kissed you again, resting his forehead against your own. "Little bird, this is no simple bounty you attempt to ensnare. No two-bit drug smuggler. This is a duo of trained killers and their misguided benefactor. Absolutely reprehensible people who have done _unforgivable_ things."

"You say that like Mando and I have never gotten our hands dirty." Your eyes were hard when they met his own. "I haven't always gone after what I believed were simple bounties or easy money."

Ezra hadn't actually considered that. You were coming to _rescue_ the Mandalorian when your path had crossed with Ezra's, he ought to have known…"Forgive my assumptive nature, little bird. I'm afraid I'm a bit too close to this situation."

…

You left your head on his shoulder, not saying anything for a time. "Mando and I won't let them touch you." You promised, your voice firm. 

"Do not offer me such empty assurances, little bird. You and I both know you cannot-"

" _Nobody_. Is going to touch you." You reiterated sternly. 

"Little bird-" 

You cut him off once more by pressing a kiss beneath his ear, enchanted by the shuddery exhale he gifted you. "A promise is a promise."

"You are so blastedly _glib_." Ezra sounded exhausted, the man dropping his head to bump your shoulder. 

"We're good at what we do." You smiled at him, nudging your nose against his own before kissing him again. "We'll keep you safe."

"I would _love_ to believe you."

"I don't expect you to trust me without proof. You'll believe me once you see me in action." You said airily, throwing him a wink. "Until then, you'll just have to uh, languish in anticipation."

His eyebrows rose. " _Languish_ , me? I am loathe to leave this place, little bird. I feel secure and as at peace as one can be, while knowing full well that following you and Steerforth is what I must do to even have a _minuscule_ chance at striking back at those who would leave me to such a toilsome, miserable fate." Ezra's tongue darted out to wet his lips nervously. "I do not understand why I have been gifted such an opportunity, crude though it may appear to the average man." He admitted.

The fingers of his remaining hand tangled into the drape of your loose sleeve and he simply held the fabric for a time, staring out at the darkness with even darker eyes.

"I am so tired, little bird. Weary of being wary, brittle from the heavy-handed drag of life's unflinching whetstone against the blade of my spirit. I would very much like to believe again, I think, in other people or even just in a cause. Though I do not know if I have the fortitude left to do so in this battered body of mine." Ezra's grip tightened, tugging idly at your sleeve. "Indulge me in the tale of your unique partnership while I hold you, little bird. Something to while away the time until Steerforth returns."

You snickered, remembering all too well your first encounter with the man who would be your boss. "Well, it all started when I picked up a bounty on him."

Ezra turned to look at you so quickly you heard something pop in his neck. " _Pardon_ , I must have misheard-"

"Nope. You saw the pollywog? Little bugger had a huge bounty on him that Mando accepted. Of course he brought him in, what's a _baby_ gonna' do against a trained Mandalorian?" You grimaced. "The bounty was from the Imps, though. I guess Mando had a change of heart at some point, because I and about a million other hunters in the area got the alert for a new bounty being placed. On _him_ , for theft of an asset."

"The child was referred to as an _asset?_ " Ezra breathed. 

"Just wait until you hear what happened next!" You grinned while you tucked yourself into his waiting embrace, being careful not to jostle the remainder of his arm as you began to relate your tale.

…

This was good. This was _good_ . Din couldn't have asked for a better setup. The distress signal pinging from the same cluster as their chain codes, the darkness that had already fallen on the planet, the _rain_. It was perfect.

"This is a common grifter tactic to draw in well-meaning floaters." Ezra explained, his olive skin looking increasingly washed-out the closer the _Crest_ drew to their target. "Folks in the Fringe that rent pods are usually out of luck if the pod becomes irreparably damaged. Like when you stumbled across me."

Din tugged the other man in and rested his helmet against his forehead. "I'm with you." The Mandalorian said firmly, his thumb rubbing the nape of Ezra's neck. 

Ezra exhaled shakily, not looking at him. "Steerforth, if-"

"No. No ifs." Din interrupted, doing his best to gentle his usually-economic touch. He wasn't good at... _soft_ , he never had been. No doubt that contributed to his longing for softness himself, simply because it was something else that he couldn't _possibly_ understand. "You're with me. With _us_ , me and Senaar. You _deserve_ this, the chance at retribution. I'm going to give it to you." He uttered, the words blunt and plain but heartfelt. He wasn't _good_ at this, damn it. 

Ezra clung to his hand, his eyes sliding closed. "I am...afraid, Steerforth." He admitted quietly. "I had hoped to never see any of them again, you understand."

Din cradled Ezra's chin in his palms, leaving his helm where it was. "Neither of us will let anything happen to you. You are _aliit_ , of our family now. You helped us, you _saved_ me. Let me help you bring these _osi'yaim_ to face the justice they've dodged for so long."

Ezra nodded finally, leaning away to paw at his eyes. "I...I appear to be allergic to something." He snuffled, and Din smiled beneath his helm at the attempt to save face. 

"Allergic, huh?"

"Yes, _allergic_ , you...you metallic _minx_." Ezra retorted sulkily. "Both you and your little bird certainly love to tease me, don't you?"

"I have no idea what you mean." Din replied, genuinely confused. He lacked the subtlety and patience for teasing or other such coy tactics.

"You expect me to believe you do _that_ without intention?" Ezra accused, tapping his own forehead.

"Do...what?"

"Your _helmet-touching_ , the head-tilting, the _voice_ ...all unintentional? Wholly incidental, _usual_ behavior?" The other man's words pitched higher and higher until they broke with an indignant little squeak. "You'll forgive me if I'm _incredulous_ , Steerforth!"

"Is there something wrong with how I act?" Now he was a little worried. Ezra's face had started to pink up.

"Aside from the fact that every damn thing you _do_ seems custom-tailored to stir a reaction out of me, nothing at all." Ezra mumbled.

"Mandos tap foreheads to show affection. I tilt my head out of habit to indicate that I'm listening or paying attention. I'm used to being around other people in helmets." Din hesitated, unsure of what Ezra had meant by _the voice_. 

"What, really? That is...that's _oddly_ polite." 

"Body language is important to those of us without expressions to read. _Dadita_ will only get you so far." 

"I...I suppose it would be, wouldn't it? Forgive my outburst, Steerforth. I am quick to jump to offense." Ezra apologized. "Being a floater, jokes are often made at my expense and my wit has grown irrevocably sharp in response."

"You probably didn't need much help, though." Din wasn't sure if he had just given the other man a compliment or not. _Maker_ , he was bad at this shit. "Sh-Sharpening your wit, I mean!" He clarified awkwardly after a moment, cursing his stutter.

Ezra tilted his own head and Din stifled another swear at the way the other man's eyes crinkled in mirth. But all Ezra said was, " _curious_."

A rapid beeping interrupted their conversation and Din gestured for Ezra to be silent, pressing down on the side of his helm. " _Razor Crest_ hailing Dasha craft seventeen twelve, do you copy?"

A woman's voice greeted his ears. Her Vayok accent shone through despite her attempts to mask it by muffling her com link. " _We copy. You have room for three?_ "

"I was returning from the slingback by Arvala-7 when I caught your broadcast. Dropped all cargo prior to slingback so I'm more than able to accommodate your numbers for appropriate compensation." Din had used this front a multitude of times, tweaking it accordingly for targets and area.

The silence stretched for a bit _too_ long before she replied, " _this is acceptable. One of our numbers has ties to Karolclan, he will be able to reimburse you upon safe delivery_."

"Copy that. I'm five minutes from your beacon." Din then closed the channel and swung his chair around to face Ezra. The prospector had gone pale yet again and Djarin reached out, taking his hand. "Nothing will happen to you. If you want, we can scrap the bait plan and Senaar and I will kick the door in. Reward is better for Inumon if she's live, but still decent on cold delivery."

Ezra squeezed his hand in reply after a moment, offering him a faint smile. "No. No, I...capturing all of them alive would be the preferred course of action." He didn't sound _incredibly_ sure of that fact.

Din shrugged. "I'm just giving you the option. But if any of them do something that I believe might cause harm-"

"Oh _absolutely_ put a hole in them, no question about it. Don't refrain on my account, Steerforth." 

Din's smirk may have been hidden by his helmet, but he cocked his head to the side in an attempt to illustrate it. "Go tell Senaar to suit up." He ordered.

…

Standard operating procedures. 

Though normally _you_ were the only one who laid in wait for unsuspecting quarry, now both you and Mando tailed Ezra on the approach to the signal's origin point. It was _pouring_ , the native foliage around you a shimmering mixture of navy and black that served to camouflage Mando's beskar startlingly well. 

The camp seemed deserted at first, a crashed pod looming out of the dark with ghostly white chutes tangled in the thick canopy above. A variety of supply crates littered the man-made clearing; the trio had obviously been living high off the hog for quite some time with the ill-gotten gains from luring in unsuspecting travelers. 

Mando took cover behind one of the closer crates, tapping the side of his helmet and then gesturing you forwards after a momentary scan.

You were still close enough to hear Ezra curse shakily under his breath before he called, "Hello? Is anyone here? I received your distress call and, being a reformed floater myself, I assumed that one good turn deserved another." 

The door to the pod creaked open, throwing a beam of light outwards. "You've got to be…" began a squeaky, muffled voice, "Mikken, h-hey Mikken! It's that guy again!" 

An individual in a Kaslo-orange flightsuit, one that had obviously been pristine at one point but was now wrinkled and tattered, bumbled down the pod steps. He was closely followed by his two companions, and you gritted your teeth, shooting Mando a glance. He shook his head slowly and you tapped your temple to indicate you understood.

"As much as I would love to proclaim that I am nothing if not overjoyed upon seein' your visages again, I am afraid I must disappoint." Ezra's tone was cheery, belying none of the terror you knew he must be feeling as the three drew close like hungry ravinak. "I was under the impression that this pod was occupied by a floater in need of assistance, but now I see it was merely inhabited by a nest of sub-intelligent _rats_."

"You lookin' to lose your other arm, cowboy?" The bulky Mikken sneered.

Inumon circled around Ezra, the woman looking him up and down before muttering, " _he has nothing to offer this time, not even aurelac_." in Vayok to Mikken. 

Mando tipped his head and you crawled even closer, your olive drab jumpsuit and muted durasteel blending into the darkness. You positioned yourself in the shadows behind Zed, and you noticed that he _too_ was missing an arm. His left one.

You shrugged mentally and wrapped your arms and legs around the waifish young man, bringing him deftly to the ground once you wedged your arm between his helmet and the gorget around his neck.

Zed floundered against your grip one-handed, his lack of secondary limb giving you the clear-cut advantage to keep him pinned and choke him unconscious. " _Sleep_." You hissed in his ear, tightening your hold until you knew you would have blood-blisters on your upper arms. The young man slowly stopped struggling, his already-feeble motions petering out the longer you had him in your coils.

You left his body where it laid and crept towards Inumon next.

Mando waited until Mikken was leaning on the crate he had hidden behind, the _Dog of the Cuts_ leering down at Ezra from behind the square shield of his helmet. "I gotta' say, you're the _last_ person I expected to run into out here." Mikken mused. "Didn't you learn your lesson, floater?"

Ezra managed a laugh that sounded more like a dry wheeze. "Who's more foolish, I ask, the fool or the fool who follows him?" He needled. "I see you and your lady friend are still lapping at the dregs of the Kaslo heir. A prudent choice, what with her record. I imagine finding gainful employment in the Re-Establishment must be _extremely_ difficult."

"You little-" Mikken reached for his side and Mando jerked his chin forward, giving you the go-ahead to quickly trap Inumon's arm up behind her back in an iron grip. 

Mando rose fluidly to face Mikken, all beskar sheen and featureless helm. "I can bring you in warm," The bounty hunter announced calmly, throwing his cape back to expose his heavy blaster in mute threat. "Or I can bring you in cold."

Mikken's large laser knife crackled loudly when he unsheathed the tang and you saw Ezra flinch at the noise. "You brought some fancy friends this time, cowboy?" Mikken mocked, tossing the weapon back and forth between his hands as he tried to approach Mando. The other man shifted lazily in response, keeping the crate between them. 

Inumon shouted at Mikken to _kill him already!_ , the thin woman twisting and arching wildly in your grip. You grunted, wishing that you had drawn your blaster beforehand. Poor Ezra appeared to be frozen, watching the two of you tangle.

…

The sound of the rain hitting that blade spiraled down Ezra's spine like an ice-cold deluge, memories surging to the surface of his mind.

_It had been a dry night. The blade had sizzled delightedly at the first contact with his skin, as if it had been waiting, anticipating this grisly endeavor_.

Kevva, he was _paralyzed_ . He could do nothing but stare, watching you and Inumon scuffle, watching Mando warily circle around Mikken as Mikken orbited around Mando with that _monstrous_ weapon in his grip.

You had disposed of Zed so calmly and quickly, as easy as pulling a weed out of the garden. But Inumon was miles more slippery _and_ clever than Zed. Struggling and wriggling like a racer in the grass, she would go for her thrower, Ezra was certain of it. If only his damned _arm_ would move, he could pull his own-!

Mikken finally appeared to grow impatient and tried to stab Mando _over_ the crate, the man obviously confident or maybe inebriated. He left his arm extended for several seconds too long and the Mandalorian was _nothing_ if not opportunistic.

Mando's vibroblade sang through the air when the bounty hunter reared back and slammed the knife down into Mikken's hand, pinning the man's terrible weapon to the crate. "What the _fuck_ , you _shitty_ Mando! I don't even have a bounty on me!" Mikken yelled, sounding more indignant than pained.

"I don't like your attitude, _quarry_ ." The Mandalorian growled, peeling the butcher's blade from his grip and switching it off. "If I was only here for a _bounty_ , I wouldn't have given your ass a second glance." His elbow met Mikken's helmet with a sharp report. "This is _personal_ , I want you to understand that."

"Stop playing with your food, Mando!" You complained, still struggling with Inumon as she shrieked in Vayok and kicked her legs. "In case you forgot, it's _pouring_ out!" 

The Inquisitor managed to jerk free her thrower and you kneed her side, sending her first shot aimed at Mando skittering over his arm instead of wherever she _wanted_ it to go. His heart or his skull, no doubt, Ezra determined pragmatically.

Mando tipped the barrel of his rifle around and Ezra only got a momentary look at the wicked prongs on the weapon before Mando gave Mikken the juicing of a lifetime. The large man slumped limp over the crate, either unconscious or dead. Ezra couldn't bring himself to care overmuch.

Inumon tore free of your arms, her foot hooked behind your ankle jerking your leg out from underneath you and landing you flat on your back. "Mando!" You shouted in warning and the armored man whirled. He lunged forward-

The Inquisitor fired point blank against Mando's chest and Ezra jerked in fright, the other man's name on his lips. 

Nobody moved for a breathless moment. 

Inumon began laughing, her mouth split in a manic, cracked grin. She had won, she had won once again--

And _then_ an angry, modulated snarl ripped through the air. Mando snapped the barrel _clean_ off Inumon's thrower, his armored form crowding the Inquisitor back as he spat, "hope you've got a little more firepower than _that!_ "

She drew her sidearm in a panicked rush and he knocked her hand wide with one clenched fist, grappling her arm and then dragging her in to slam his forehead solidly against her helmet. Inumon dropped to the ground, attempting desperately to slither away between Mando's legs, but you were already there to wrap an arm around her neck and pin her to the mud. 

Ezra, still in a daze, noticed you grinding her helmet's face shield into the ground a _bit_ more enthusiastically than he would have anticipated. 

Mando's boot landed on the back of the woman's helmet and he leaned down, his words sharp through the modulator, " _I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold_."

Inumon swore at him in Vayok. 

Mando's chuckle lacked amusement. "Senaar, cuff her. We still have the third to deal with."

"Wait, wait!" The newly-conscious Zed shrieked, cringing back from the rapidly-approaching Mandalorian. "Wait, just...look, my family will give you whatever you want, just don't hurt me." He blubbered. His whining, wheedling voice was like a burst of fresh oxygen to Ezra's brain, allowing the prospector to finally think and move again.

"I see you've discovered that Mikken will hack appendages off of any damned body he pleases. You are penitent _now,_ aren't you, you pretentious little _fop_ ." Ezra seethed, his mind lousy with the too-fresh recollection of Zed laughing and holding him down as Mikken's blade whirred. "You and your associates left me to _die_ , you are aware of that, correct? Aware that your actions have immeasurable consequences, ones that not even Kaslo's vast coffers can erase. If I had perished, as was intended, you would have a bounty on your head for _murder_ . Do you comprehend that word, _brat?_ "

"I know, I get it!" Zed squeaked, his voice wavering. "Wh-What we did...it was awful. Really shitty, man, I-"

"No, what _you_ did was _barbarous_ , downright _monstrous_ ." Ezra corrected him, his voice trembling with barely-leashed emotion. "You and your contemptuous little gang of _slag-lickers_ inflicted your will upon someone else without their consent. You caused irreparable harm. You _attempted_ to snuff out the life of an individual in a less advantageous position than you for the sake of your own perverse amusement, you _blight_ on the face of interstellar relations."

"I think a few days in carbonite will go a long way towards ensuring this behavior doesn't rear its ugly head again." Your hand on Ezra's shoulder felt hot even through his jumpsuit, and you casually leaned in. "That's of course, _assuming_ that my partner lets you live to regret your choices in the first place. It would be _incredibly_ generous, considering that you didn't extend _him_ an ounce of mercy." You were all but purring in his ear and Ezra swallowed hard. 

Zed dissolved into tears and bargaining, ignoring Inumon's heated swears aimed at him as he attempted to the best of his ability to save his own wretched skin.

In the end, Mando simply cuffed him just like his two associates. "You'll face Central justice," was what the hunter said curtly, hauling the still-snivelling heir to his feet. "Should have thought a little longer on the consequences of being an absolute _fuckbagging cunt_ of a person."

  
  


...

You were _soaked_ through, shivering while you hammered your fist down on the button for the carbonite frame retractor. Zed hadn't even struggled, just hanging his head sulkily as he was slabbed following Mikken and Inumon. You _were_ going to warn him not to do so, but in a rare moment of uncharacteristic pettiness you decided against it. Let him endure the burning in his nasal passages once he was thawed out.

You were shivering hard enough that your teeth were rattling. The rain was hammering on the roof of the _Crest_ , the white noise remarkably soothing after the excitement of the hunt. "Little b-b-bird, are you well?" Ezra asked through his own shivering, his hair sticking out at wild angles from the quick toweling he had given himself. His suit had been soaked through, but he had only peeled it to his waist. It hung there, dripping all over the grating.

"Take it off." Mando ordered brusquely, retracting the loading ramp and locking it with a hiss of the pressurized seal. You and Ezra glanced at each other, uncertain as to _who_ the armored man was addressing. Mando looked up after a moment, catching the two of you looking at him in confusion. " _All_ of it." He clarified unhelpfully, tugging off his gloves. 

"What, both of-"

" _Yes_." Mando interjected sharply. His hands, now bare, knuckles livid with bruising, began to methodically remove the beskar from his body. 

Ezra turned away from you and Mando, struggling to slough his sopping wet suit down off his legs. You were grateful that your own suit was on the bulkier side, but unfortunately your thermal layer left little to the imagination. The off-white fabric was essentially see-through and you felt wildly exposed once you had fully stripped your suit. "I should, um…" You went to take a step back and bumped into Mando's chest. You froze.

His ungloved hands landed on your shoulders and you couldn't help your groan of relief when his large, warm fingers kneaded firmly at the tense muscles in your neck. "Senaar, you need to learn how to _stretch_." He chided you quietly, "your shoulders are a wreck."

"H-How are you so warm?" You asked instead of acknowledging the criticism, crossing your arms beneath your breasts and curling in on yourself. "M' freezing."

Mando's hands slid down over your shoulders and cupped your breasts, boldly groping you with his hot palms. "I can tell, Senaar." He teased, his fingers toying with your already-stiffened peaks.

"Mando-!" You squeaked, wriggling against him fitfully. 

"I love it when you manhandle quarry." Mando continued bluntly. 

"You're so _weird_." You replied, your voice breathless. "What's gotten into you?"

"I believe he is in an agreeable mood, little bird." Ezra called from where he was smoothing his suit out over a crate. "Perhaps the adrenaline and the success has combined into a new strain of pollen that he finds himself unable to resist." The other man's knowing smirk was _insufferable_ and you heard Mando grumble something under his breath.

You beckoned Ezra over and he approached willingly, though slower than you would have liked. "Ezra, can I have a kiss?" You requested softly. Mando groaned behind you, his helmet tucking into your neck. You could feel the whole of his body pressed against your back, his thin liner shirt doing nothing to conceal the way his chest heaved. 

"A thousand kisses would not be payment enough for everything that you've done, little bird." Ezra drawled, his hand cupping your cheek and then sliding down to thumb over your bottom lip. "This mouth does beg so deliciously for my own, I must admit. Yours too, Steerforth, though I assume that is why I am still here." 

"No." Mando grunted. 

Ezra's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "No? You would tell a falsehood to my face, Steerforth? I know full well that I am your proxy for them in matters of the oral persuasion, there is no need to glamorize what I-"

...

"Be quiet." Your breasts were so soft under his hands, pebbled nipples ready to be tormented. It was dizzying, being able to touch you without his gloves. All that was between Din's hands and your skin was a thin thermal shirt, transparent from the driving rain. "You're here because we want you to be here." The Mandalorian informed the other man sharply. 

You nodded rapidly, dismissing Din's next question before he even asked it. _You_ **_do_ ** _want him here, right?_ Maker help him if he misread another situation. 

Ezra pressed a kiss to your jaw, your neck, steadying your face with his lone hand as he went. "This skin that you bare so readily is intoxicating, little bird. _Rapturous_. It strikes such a contrast against your own, Steerforth, the purpling of your knuckles and the scrape on your arm."

"Don't worry about me." Din muttered. "Focus on them."

Ezra's forehead pressed against his visor. "I will worry about _whomever_ I damn well please, Steerforth. After your lewd reaction during them repairing the goddamn _hole_ in the back of your cantankerous cranium, I know better than to be concerned about your injuries." Ezra had the gall to _wink_ at him and Din flushed, cursing under his breath. Of course Ezra had picked up on that, he hadn't exactly been in a headspace to be _subtle_.

He cursed louder when Ezra's tongue loped out lazily to lap at the broken skin of his knuckles, making it sting and tingle. You shivered as Djarin tightened his desperate grip on your breasts, your breath coming in quick little pants that were driving him _insane_. You were breathing like quarry, like a defenseless bounty that had finally reached the end of their rope after a long chase. It made him feel right again, as if that was how it should be. You placid in his arms, Ezra licking his wounds... "So what?" He managed to get out, his own voice too breathless for his liking.

Ezra shrugged, his smirk back in full force. "We all have our tendencies, Steerforth. Yours are just a touch more... _dangerous_ ." His hand grazed the scratch on Din's upper arm and the Mandalorian twitched at the heated jolt of pain that skittered down his spine. Ezra leaned close, whispering, " _and exciting_ ," against the side of Din's helmet.

Djarin grabbed the front of the other man's thermal shirt, the threadbare garment tearing slightly at the pressure of his hold. "And what are _your_ tendencies, quarry?" He asked, his voice rasping eagerly.

You trembled in his arms at that, grinding your body back into the hard hollow of his hips. "Mando," You half-protested. Din offered you his fingers and you immediately opened your mouth, letting him gently stroke your tongue until it lolled out. Your mouth was so _hot_ , the wetness of your saliva cooling rapidly on his fingers when he removed them. 

"My tendencies are relatively tame." The prospector replied to Din's question with a one-armed shrug. "I am a versatile addition to _any_ bedroom, able to play to a variety of strengths. I thoroughly enjoy a certain level of either-or inclination." His eyes half-lidded, looking even darker for a moment. "As odd as it must sound coming from the mouth of someone so often on the wrong side of the law, the stern grate of your diction is wildly arousing. Though I _have_ always had a propensity towards mischief."

"Ugh, _That Voice_." You groaned, sounding strangely excited. "He only uses it on bounties! It's such a shame."

"What voice?" Din asked, thoroughly bewildered. As far as _he_ was aware, he spoke the same all the time regardless of situation. The heavy modulation on his helmet coupled with his somewhat stilted, labored Basic didn't allow him much room for variety in his tone.

"The one you use when you say your line! It's unfairly hot. You get all gruff and you project _just_ a little. Maybe it's the enunciation." You mused.

"My...line?"

"Mando, you're killing me! When you go, ' _I can bring you in warm_ ', y'know?" You elaborated impatiently, urging his fingers back into your mouth.

"Oh." The Mandalorian said on reflex, then mumbled " _oh_." 

"It is _ludicrously_ attractive, I must agree with the little bird on this one." Ezra added.

Din felt nervous all of a sudden, like it was his first time touching someone. It was, in a way. He had never indulged without his gloves, without his _armor_. He would leave the voice issue to think about some other time. Preferably when he was alone, so he could practice speaking.

"Shh, Senaar." He murmured as Ezra's hand slid past the waistband of your leggings and drew them down over the curve of your rear. "We'll take care of you." 

"Is this your first time sans the leathers?" Ezra queried curiously, ticking his head towards Djarin's fingers idly thrusting into your mouth. "You seem to be relishing that motion."

Din made a noncommittal sound in reply, withdrawing his digits after a moment. "If I do this, there are rules I have to obey." He said abruptly. "No lights."

"If you do what?" You asked in confusion. "Us?"

"If I remove my helmet." His chest was full of whistling birds, bouncing off his ribcage and threatening to explode. "I'll do the two of you no matter what, but if you want me to...do it without the helmet-"

"Hold that honeyed tongue of yours for just one iota, my monosyllabic friend." Ezra blustered. "Are you insinuating that you would _willingly_ defile that hellfiring Creed of yours?"

"I spoke with...with the leader of my clan." The whistling birds moved faster and faster, battering his chest. "Our numbers are...we lost _so_ many. She has lifted certain restrictions on our Creed, t-to foster…" Din swallowed hard. "Physical intimacy. We can take off our helmets, but it can't be bright."

You had gone dead still in his arms, almost limp. Ezra just stared at him like he was crazy. "Can we turn the lights off, then?" You asked softly. "I want to kiss you."

Din sucked in a breath, startled at your admission. "You...really? I won't be good at it." He knew he didn't _have_ to warn you, but he felt obligated to. The idea of disappointing you with his inexperience made his stomach drop out.

"That's half the damn fun of anythin' to do with the mouth, Steerforth." Ezra reasoned, his eyes crinkling with his grin. 

…

The fact that Mando didn't know he was doing _The Voice_ made Ezra's stomach pitch in delight. Who knew how many more of his attractive personality traits were sheer instinct at this point? The Mandalorian was entertainingly naive, his attempt to spare you disappointment when kissing him only serving to stoke the fire of arousal. 

_I won't be good at it_ , as if that had ever stopped a single prepubescent floater in this or any other lifetime. Ezra rolled his eyes. "So if we remove the lighting, or as much of it as is humanly possible, you will in turn divest yourself of that stoic helm?" 

Mando nodded.

"This would be your first kiss, won't it?" Ezra asked, the prospector relishing the soft little gasp you made when Mando nodded again. Obviously you hadn't thought of _that_. "Little bird, I believe you are in for the ride of your life. We agree to these terms, Steerforth. Blow out your lanterns and wrap yourself in the warm, willing embrace of your oral proxy and your partner."

Mando released you and reached down, tapping at the buttons on his discarded vambrace. You took the opportunity to pull your shirt off over your head and step out of your leggings, back to shivering in the cooler air of the hold. 

Abruptly, darkness cloaked the small space. The only lights were from the control panels by the ladder, and even then that was nothing but a bare hint of illumination.

Ezra had kept a hand on your shoulder and he felt when Mando returned. He heard the soft sound of unmodulated breath, the noise of a mouth meeting your own clumsily. You crooned happily and it sent a jolt of delight clear through to Ezra's groin. 

Mando _groaned_ , deep and husky. " _Senaar_ …"

Ezra gritted his teeth. "Fuck's sake you two, have some decency. You've got me turgid already." He huffed. 

"Whatever the fuck _that_ means." Mando sounded hoarse. "Get out of your thermals before I tear them off of you."

"Mercy Steerforth, you'll make me blush." Ezra quipped shakily, trying to play off the effect the other man's demands had on him. He thanked Kevva for the darkness of the hold to hide his raging arousal from the two of you, uncertain if he wanted to admit to being so weak _just_ yet.

...

Din crouched and draped your legs over his forearms, years of wearing beskar and manhandling belligerent quarries allowing him to easily haul your weight up with him when he stood. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders hurriedly, like you were afraid he would drop you. It made him chuckle, brushing his mouth against your own in a clumsy attempt at yet another kiss. "Relax, I've got you. Now, Ezra. Get up close behind them-"

Ezra obeyed rapidly and, in a surprising twist, his hand palmed over Din's throbbing cock. He coaxed the bounty hunter's cock down against his own and rutted their dicks together in his hand, not really able to wrap his fingers fully around the both of them. Din swore, his head falling back as he proceeded to buck his hips and rock his dick against Ezra's. The pressure was so _good_ but it wasn't _enough_ and you were _begging_ him for his cock, your words half-buried in the crook of his neck. 

Din sank his teeth into your shoulder and then Ezra flicked his wrist, separating their cocks so he could guide Djarin's into your hot, wet little cunt.

Din had assumed that it had been so _good_ last time due to the Serpentia, but it would appear that he was sorely mistaken. Your walls gripped him, so soft, so _tight_ . Din fucked up into you and he felt like he had gone absolutely _stupid_ , drunk on the elixir of being able to touch you, _taste_ you on his tongue. " _Tight-_ " He slurred out.

"Keep talking, pl-please--" you begged, "Maker, _please_ , keep talking."

"I want to... _fuck_ , I just…" Mando trailed off, his pelvis grinding flat against your pubic mound as he bottomed out with every thrust. "I'm trying, I--stars, you're so _hot_ , like you'll burn me."

"Steerforth, perhaps we should alternate?" Ezra suggested, that lazy drawl of his traipsing out of the dark. "You will have to do most of the work naturally, as I am without my right hand companion, but I assure that it can be a decidedly pleasurable-"

" _Ezra_." You interrupted him raggedly. "If you don't stop fooling around Mando will probably just fuck your mouth instead of me."

"What a salacious concept, and _not_ without merit." Din could _hear_ the smirk in the other man's voice. "When last I checked, little bird, you had no quarrel with my oral fixation."

"Alternating alright with you, Senaar?" Din asked, nudging his nose against your cheek. "Don't want to hurt you."

You nodded rapidly, your thumbs rubbing circles on Din's shoulders. "Maker, _please_ ." You breathed. Stars, Djarin couldn't help but marvel for a second at how _invested_ you were. It made him feel _good_ , like this was how things should be.

Din withdrew and Ezra slowly pushed his cock up into you, grunting through clenched teeth. His balls rubbed against Din's and the Mandalorian was hard pressed to remain still, slotting his dick along the crease of your thigh instead.

...

"You just want us to breed you, don't you Senaar. You _need_ these two cocks in your greedy little pussy." Mando muttered in your ear, making you shudder. 

You whimpered and clung to his back, your nails digging into the new expanse of wonderfully _bare_ skin you found there. "I just want-" the breath was punched out of your body as Ezra rocked upwards, sheathing himself entirely in your cunt.

"God _damn_ , little bird, you feel just as wondrous as the first time. Quivering and taut with _anticipation_. Oh, let me embrace you, let me pleasure you." Ezra implored, his words chased by a hot tongue against your shoulder while he tucked himself flat to your back. "Your partner and I will guide you to the heights of ecstasy, little bird, but only if you allow it. Revel in the freeing darkness and let yourself be possessed by us."

Mando's mouth pressed to your lips, ungainly and starving. You felt as though you would go insane, caught between the two of them. Mando heaved you up a little higher so that Ezra's cock slipped out, and you whined unhappily.

"Listen to them, Steerforth." Ezra remarked. "If I didn't know any better, I would suspect they were hungry for _more_ than one at a time." 

His words flared the heat in your belly to life and you jerked your head down into the shelter of Mando's neck, entranced by the sharp gasp he gave you in reply.

Mando's cock plunged into you, the other man circling his hips mercilessly. "Is he right, Senaar? Is _that_ why you went after my two Creed siblings? You just need this cunt stuffed?" He asked gruffly, sloppy kisses coating your jaw and neck. "You want to get pounded, Senaar, to g-get _fucked_ and filled up?"

You cried out, " _yes_ Mando, fuck, _please!_ " and you heard Ezra groan raggedly. 

"You are as dangerously radiant as _sunlight_ itself when you ask nicely, little bird." The man's mustache brushed beneath your ear, his lips and teeth grazing your neck as he spoke. "Shall we oblige, Steerforth?"

"I've only…" Mando hesitated. "Once before, I mean, I-"

"Stay as you are and I will work myself in beside you, Steerforth. This pussy weeps with need, _surely_ it can manage being fucked open." Ezra mused, and you felt two fingers press down on Mando's cock to slip into you.

Mando swore, the slow advance of Ezra's fingers making you even more inclined to wriggle on his dick. His lips on your own muffled your whines, even as his enthusiastic tongue fucked into your mouth and plundered every last ounce of propriety that you might have had. This was your employer, your _partner_ , currently warming his cock with your body. The thought made a wave of arousal crest inside you, and you could feel the response between your legs as your pussy grew even _more_ slick.

Ezra paused momentarily and then worked a third finger in, murmuring soft nonsense words as you sobbed out and gripped down on his fingers. Mando swore. "Fuck, Senaar, _f-uck_ you're taking him so good, you're so good, you're such a good little _f-fucksleeve_ for my dick, y-you--you're so _hot-_ " he stuttered endearingly, honest words pouring out of the normally-quiet man in a stream of consciousness ramble. "Rut i-into you until you can't stand it, both of us fucking this sweet _cunt--_ "

You came from the constant pressure at your entrance, your hips pitching and trying to open even _wider_ . "Maker, _p-please_ fill me up-" you whimpered, bucking down against Mando's cock and Ezra's fingers. "Fill my greedy little cunt, please, please please-"

"They ask so politely, Steerforth. Shall we?"

…

The first sensation was rubbing the head of his cock up the underside of Mando's dick and _feeling_ more than hearing the other man's low groan. 

The second was just how _wet_ you were. You had _soaked_ Mando when you came and your pussy trembled with aftershocks even as Ezra rocked his member up against you. He was sure to be cautious, resting his forehead on your shoulder blade while his cock _slowly_ pushed past your entrance alongside Mando's.

Once the head was in, Ezra _had_ to take a moment to breathe. He and Mando, piercing your body at the same time-- _gods_ . He could feel the _throb_ of the other man's blood in that thick cock, the pronounced ridge of vein begging to be rutted against like Ezra was nothing but a mindless animal seeking release in the warm, longing embrace of your cunt.

In that very moment, he was a bit ashamed to admit that he might have been.

"Little bird-" he managed to say through clenched teeth. 

Your back suddenly arched, your cry a high, wavering call of delight. Ezra had feared he was intruding, but the way your come _poured_ down over his and Mando's cocks assuaged that fear remarkably well. 

You were stuffed, claimed, _possessed_ , and the notion drove Erza to rock his hips upwards in a long, hungry stroke. Mando slid downwards at the same time, nearly withdrawing before echoing Ezra's trajectory.

It took them only a moment to fall into their rhythm, and Ezra marveled at their nearly _intrinsic_ sync in some distant corner of his mind. It was as if they had been designed like this, two halves of a whole, both made solely to please you and be pleased _by_ you. It was _agony_ leaving your body, and Ezra mourned the loss anew every time he had to pull back to make room for Mando.

"If you believed you were losing your mind previously from the Serpentia, I would be most intrigued to--enquire over your mental state _now_ ." Ezra grunted between thrusts, his hand reaching around to tenderly rub your engorged clit. "I apologize for any clumsiness, I have not...engaged with anyone since my mishap." He admitted, knowing that his touch was _miles_ less confident than it had once been.

Mando _snarled_ breathlessly when you sobbed out Ezra's name.

"Your little bird sings so _wonderfully_ , Steerforth." The bounty hunter's forehead met Ezra's over your shoulder, and the prospector felt Mando's nose brush his own. 

" _Our_ Senaar." Mando breathed.

...

Two cocks, alternating their assault on your cervix, rendering you down to a limp mess in Mando's arms. You couldn't even _pretend_ to attempt to support your own weight, just letting your body be used as they saw fit.

Your clit was so sensitive, you swore you saw stars when Ezra swirled his digits around it. His words of contrition fell upon deaf ears, the stilted touch of his fingers combined with the gloriously-thick shift of the two dicks seated in your pussy had you coming apart once again. This time Mando devoured your trembling cry with his mouth, hungrily accepting your delight with equal fervor. 

He moved his whole _body_ against yours in an almost juvenile frenzy, fucking you on he and Ezra's cocks and burying his face in your neck when you raked your fingernails down his back. " _Senaar-_ " he moaned, pistoning into you with such _ferocity_ that you knew you would feel them both in the morning. 

Not that you were complaining. Far from it!

Ezra's teeth found the opposite side of your neck from Mando's safe haven, gentle nips and nibbles setting the already tender skin aflame with sensation. "I am afraid my endurance may _also_ disappoint, little bird." He confessed, his voice cracking. "Sharing your pussy with this enthusiastic specimen is rendering me quite _embarrassingly_ inept, I offer my most sincere reparations-"

"Stop apologizing." Mando grumbled against your jaw, making you laugh with just how unhurried and _sulky_ he sounded. "I'm close, anyway, and if you just keep rubbing their clit, we should be able to pull this off." He listed off their objectives like he was on a field mission and if not for Ezra's fingers gracelessly picking up speed, you would have _absolutely_ heckled the Mandalorian. As such, you felt like the breath was leaving your lungs too fast, light-headed and essentially suspended in midair while the two men tugged you back and forth between them. 

Your body tensed and throbbed, signaling your impending orgasm. Ezra's voice buzzed with a sentence beneath your ear, but you couldn't decipher the words through your haze. Something about _immaculate_. 

Mando, in contrast, offered nothing but a wordless snarl and you heard his teeth snap shut on nothing as he stilled. The pulse of his cock combined with the brush of Ezra's fingers on your clit pushed you over the edge yet again, and you felt Ezra _grind_ up into you a little harder before he too tipped over the precipice of orgasm.

Mando's breathing was absolutely _ragged_ , you realized dimly as you felt their come start to dribble out of you and down around their cocks. The usually-armored man's chest was heaving against your own. He had obviously done the brunt of the physical labor and you _wanted_ to tell him to put you down, but you couldn't even muster up the strength to open your eyes.

Ezra groaned softly, working his hips up and down. "Kevva, we've made quite the creamy spectacle in you, I'm sure." His voice sounded husky. "Are you alright, little bird? You seem to be...a bit limp." He laced his fingers through your own on Mando's shoulder, raising your hand to flop bonelessly in his grip.

"M'fine." You slurred out, the words pressed into the skin of Mando's throat. "Y'kay?" You asked, squeezing Ezra's hand and then nuzzling your nose against the racing pulse point in Mando's neck. "Worked hard."

"Worth it." The bounty hunter mumbled, sounding almost dazed. As if he couldn't believe what had just happened. "We...I need to punch in the coordinates. Helmet."

"Damn. I know it is required, but I _will_ mourn the loss of your delightful diction unfettered by that blasted bucket." Ezra complained, perfectly voicing your own sadness. "We shall have to think of ingenious ways to foster this _physical intimacy_ that your leader wisely deemed fit to encourage."

Mando chuckled wearily, pressing one last kiss to your forehead before releasing your legs and letting you put your feet on the ground once more. 

Your knees immediately buckled and Ezra was at your back, lone arm wrapped around your midsection to support you until the sensation returned to your legs. Mando only released you after he felt the other man catch you, his fingertips grazing your jaw as he pulled away. 

"Leave the lights off down here, okay?" You begged, "I want you to come back and be able to take off your helmet when we lay down."

You almost _felt_ Mando hesitate, hearing a long, bone-deep sigh. He didn't respond, and you heard him move past you in the darkness after a few moments of shuffling about. 

"Come, little bird. We ought to clean up." Ezra urged you softly as boots clanked up the rungs of the ladder to the cockpit. "A trip to the fresher would not be amiss."

…

Maker, he was _tired_. He felt like he had never been so tired in all his life. Din tugged up his helmet and scrubbed wearily at his eyes, refocusing on the star charts for the hundredth time. 

Plotting a course was usually straightforward, but nothing was cooperating with his incredibly-clouded mind at the moment. Din flipped the sextant on its axis, watching idly as it dipped and spun. 

Right. The course. _Stars_ , he was tired.

Djarin shook his head and snorted, drawing his shoulders up and forcing himself to finish the job. The sooner he did this, the sooner he could return to you and Ezra. In spite of himself, Din felt a fond smile quirk the corner of his mouth. 

Once he finally managed to get everything straight and put the _Razor Crest_ into hyperspace, Din stumbled back down the ladder into the pitch-black hold. His thermal flickered to life, revealing two naked bodies curled up with one another in a pile of blankets. 

Djarin grimaced, pawing at his shirt. He needed to bathe. The two of you had offered him that courtesy, so regardless of his exhaustion he would offer the same in turn.

He dozed off under the weak spray of the shower, jerking awake when the lukewarm water suddenly ran cold. Din groaned, shutting everything down and barely patting his hair dry before he slid his helmet back on. 

He lumbered to the bedding with all the grace of a sleepwalker, wearing nothing but his helmet and the last clean set of leggings he owned. When he knelt on the blanket, your hand immediately moved to search out his leg. "Just me, Senaar." He muttered. Ezra's tousled head rose from over your shoulder and Din could only imagine the look the other man was giving him. Mercifully the thermal didn't pick up slight things like _expressions_.

"You worked so hard." You mumbled, petting his knee. "You deserve a rest. Should lay down."

"Indeed. Take off the helm and stay a while, Steerforth." Ezra remarked softly. "Seize a few hours of respite, my friend. You've earned as much."

Din knew he shouldn't. He knew it was weak and cowardly, gutless. But as he tugged the helmet off for the second time that night…

He felt strangely at peace. Your fingers tangled into his shaggy hair and Ezra breathed some incomprehensible _bullshit_ against his forehead and it was just...good. _Jatne manda_ , at one with his clan and everything was _good_. 

Well, almost everything.

"I miss the kid." Din admitted softly after he figured you and Ezra had drifted off. He always had trouble falling asleep, too haunted by the flashes of his past to get much in the manner of decent rest. 

Therefore, he was startled when your thumb brushed his lower lip and you murmured, "you'll be back with him soon. Then we find his people."

"Mm, what a delightful notion." Ezra agreed sleepily, slinging his arm over your hip to grapple onto Din's. "Once we deliver the three slabs of _chaff_ you've acquired to the proper authorities, I would be more than happy to assist in such a hunt."

Din swallowed hard. "You don't have t-"

"Steerforth, I may be a floater, but do not presume that my wandering tendencies are something that may _also_ apply to matters of the heart." Ezra's hold tightened slightly. "I'm afraid I must insist that you resign yourself to the interminable toil of my garrulous and gregarious nature, until you deign to run me off like the stray beast that I am."

"I doubt that anything I could say would make you rethink your plan to partner up with us." Din replied dryly, resting his hand over Ezra's and offering him a gentle squeeze. "Hope you like canned food and a ship that's in constant need of repairs."

The prospector's sigh was one of dreamy contentment. "It sounds like home already."


End file.
